


The Prince with the Dragon Tattoos

by joy_peace_blooms



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft - Various Authors
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Boys Kissing, Dragons think they know everything, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fighting N'zoth, Fluff and Angst, I wanted a story like this so I wrote one, Jaina is a good aunt, M/M, Mostly BfA time period, Mostly Fluff, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Some Pandaria/War Crimes time period, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Stormwind Nobles Being Awful, Taelia just wants to see the world, Threesome - F/M/M, Varian Wrynn is a good dad, Wrandaelia, Wrandelia, bisexual Anduin Wrynn, fun with void corruption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:35:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 92,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25719676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joy_peace_blooms/pseuds/joy_peace_blooms
Summary: Prince Anduin Wrynn has had the initials "TF" on his wrist his entire life. He isn't sure what to think when one day he gets this other weird soulmark on his arm. When he discovers that it belongs to a certain black dragon, he's definitely keeping that fact from his father as long as possible.King Anduin Wrynn wasn't expecting the confident Kul Tiran warrior to be the owner of the other set of initials. Taelia Fordragon isn't exactly typical queen material, but he just might love her for that. Light help him when his other soulmate comes swaggering back into his life as well. He's not sure he's ready to find out what the two of them might do together.World of Warcraft AU in which people get the initials of their soulmates on their wrist and it glows when they meet. It happens to be the fault of a crazy half-red half-bronze dragon.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Taelia Fordragon/Anduin Wrynn, Taelia Fordragon/Wrathion, Taelia Fordragon/Wrathion/Anduin Wrynn, Wrathion/Anduin Wrynn
Comments: 160
Kudos: 226





	1. Chapter 1

At long last, Zoridorma's preparations were complete. It had taken her centuries to craft the incantation, and another millennium to gather all the components, but for what she was trying to do it really wasn't that much of a time commitment. Especially for a dragon.

For a dragon who also happened to be half bronze, time really wasn't an issue at all.

Soon, it would all be worth it, for she was about to solve what she felt was the universe's biggest problem.

That problem was love, or rather, the lack of it.

Zoridorma could still hear the laughter in the back of her mind from the bronze dragons she had shared her idea with. They thought her crazy, of course. How could she say _that_ was the biggest problem when there were constant cracks and branches of the fragile timestream to fix? But Zori knew better, and she would make them understand.

Since she had also been born half-red, she had a unique perspective the bronze dragons didn't. It was with that perspective and the combined powers of bronze and red that she could see something no one else could.

She didn't know what they were at first. It took her a while to realize that she was the only one who could see them. To her, it seemed so natural that some beings were connected to each other by strings.

The day she realized what the strings were was the day she witnessed the mating ritual between Alexstrazsa and her newest consort, Korialstraz. Zori had always seen the connection between the two reds, but as soon as they were officially mated the unmistakable strengthening of the cord between them confirmed her suspicions. The strings she saw were some sort of bond between mates.

What amazed her was how she could see the bonds lace the timestream in a glittering web. She often watched it with her bronze half-siblings, sad that they would never witness its beauty.

It was during one such time that she saw a breach in the timestream. She had seen the cracks and the aftermath of breaches before, but she'd never seen one happen right before her eyes. She cried out in shock as a section of the stream was ripped away, as if a tapestry were being torn asunder. The strings of the bonds there broke and frayed, curling in on themselves before shriveling to nothing.

The bronzes fluttered off to fix the gash, but Zori stayed and watched with a bleeding heart. It was then that she started developing her theory.

Perhaps the bronzes were only treating symptoms of a deeper problem. Perhaps if the strings were stronger, the tapestry would be less easily torn. Perhaps if the beings of the universe were aware of their bonds, they would have the opportunity to strengthen them.

So while the bronzes endlessly policed the timeways, Zoridorma ran simulations and developed a solution.

She developed a spell that would change the fabric of the universe itself. If the fates allowed, then her spell would safely create a new branch of her current timestream where every being with a bond would have a mark signifying their soulmate. If the spell failed, Zori knew the effort would probably kill her, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She was determined to share her gift.

Zoridorma stood in a leviathan-sized circle in the middle of her lair. The time had finally come.

The half-red half-bronze dragon began to cast her spell.

The spell was long and required every ounce of concentration. Pink trails of sand that matched her scales began to flow around her, but she did not see them. Her eyes were closed with all her focus on the making of the biggest magical matrix ever attempted. Had she been any less focused she might have noticed the rumbling beneath the ground and the feeling of not just the planet, but the entire universe shifting.

With a roar, the last words were spoken and the grains of sand shot out from the spell's point of origin and imperceptibly coated the entire universe. The new timeline was split. Her fate was sealed.

It worked! Zori laughed as she collapsed exhausted to the floor. Now it was only a matter of time before the other dragonflights could see what she'd done.

* * *

About 20,000 years later...

"Father?"

Varian Wrynn looked up from his work to see his son poke his blonde head around the door of the king's study. Thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Anduin felt a wave of anxiety wash over him at the look on Varian's face and wondered which side of his father he would get this evening.

The tension between father and son had been present since Varian's return to the throne after the debacle with Onyxia and the recombining of Varian's two selves. It had only been a few months since then. The gladiator, or Lo'Gash, was the more brutal part of himself Varian still struggled to reckon with. The occasional outbursts were causing a rift between the king and the more gentle-hearted prince.

It was why Anduin was more nervous than ever to share with his father what he had found.

"Anduin, come in, is dinner ready so soon?"

"No, it's not dinner time yet," responded Anduin as he took a seat in front of the massive desk covered in papers. "I have something I need to tell you."

Varian set the papers he had been reading aside and gave his son his undivided attention. "You look more serious than Shaw when he's got bad news, what's wrong Anduin?"

Anduin resisted the urge fidget. Instead, he began unraveling the wrap he kept around his right wrist.

"I noticed something when I woke up this morning... Father, I think I've gotten another soulmark."

Varian's brow knitted with concern and confusion. He stood and went to the other side of the desk, knelt next to Anduin's chair, and looked at his son's wrist.

Sure enough, there appeared to be two marks where there once was only one.

Like every denizen of Azeroth who was blessed with a soulmate, Anduin bore the initials of the person he was destined to be with. Varian and Tiffin had noticed Anduin's shortly after his birth and kept it a carefully hidden secret. After all, it wouldn't do for imposters with the initials "TF" to show up at Stormwind Keep demanding an audience with the heir to the throne.

It wasn't unheard of for someone to have two soulmarks, or sometimes more, but it was uncommon. For the mark to show up this late in a person's life was also strange.

Varian ran his thumb over the new mark. He hesitated to call it "initials" as it was more akin to a curling symbol unlike any he had ever seen.

"I spent all day in the library trying to figure out what it was and I found nothing." Anduin couldn't keep his voice from shaking, "Father I don't know what this means. It's not a language of any of the common races, which means they're probably not human. I... I'm not sure how to feel about that... And how can a king have two soulmates? Am supposed to choose just one to be by my side on the throne? Father--"

Varian quieted his son by pulling him into a hug. This was the first time since he'd been back that Anduin had chosen to confide in him and for that he was grateful.

"Anduin, I don't know what this means either, but we'll figure it out. The fact that it appeared now means they've just been born right? You've probably got a long time before you meet them, you both have a lot of growing up to do."

Anduin was too anxious to be miffed by the idea that his father thought he still had _a lot_ of growing up to do. He looked at his wrist. "I guess you're right."

Varian thought about Anduin's questions. "There's no guarantee you'll know both soulmates at the same time either...," he said before trailing off, thinking. As sad as the idea was, it was possible something would happen to the first soulmate and then Anduin would find the other later in life. He'd heard of that happening before. However, the king's thoughts drifted towards the possibility that Anduin _would_ know his soulmates at the same time or that the three of them would be bonded to each other. The nobles would have a conniption over the question of the Wrynn line. It wasn't hard for Varian to imagine them choosing the most desirable of the two soulmates, or whichever one gave Anduin heirs first, and forcing him to abandon the other. Especially if one of his mates wasn't human.

"You haven't shown anyone else?"

"No."

"Good, continue to keep it covered. The next time we see Jaina though I want you to show her. She might have a better idea of what the symbol might be."

Anduin nodded, relief obvious on his face. Just the other day Jaina had given him a hearthstone to her sitting-room in Theramore to give him space away from the keep and access to a friendly ear. He had been planning on telling Jaina anyway and was glad his father approved. It was also comforting to know that Varian was on his side.

"I'm going to keep researching it too," said Anduin. "Though from what I found today I doubt the library here will have anything. Maybe Aunt Jaina will be able to use Dalaran's library."

"A sound plan." Varian stood up and looked at his son. It was strange to see the boy who faced Onyxia look so worried. He was used to Anduin putting on a brave face but clearly, the new soulmark bothered the prince. The possible implications bothered Varian as well, but for Anduin's sake, he did his best to project confidence that everything would be all right.

* * *

All dragons were sentient inside their eggs, but Wrathion had the special _advantage_ of knowledge magically poured into his brain from the time of his creation. Yes, he decided he would think of the red dragonflight's experimentation on him as an advantage.

He also thought he knew everything from the moment he hatched.

There were no words for how he felt when he discovered the two soulmarks on his arm.

He hadn't even noticed them until he picked his humanoid form of a dark-skinned half-elf, but the initials "ALW" and "TF" were very clearly etched into his skin in gold letters. Wrathion shifted to his whelp form and, though much less noticeable, he could still see the initials on the leathery skin of his arm between the scales. He shifted back to get a better look.

The letters were in common. More than likely he knew that meant humans.

Wrathion scoffed out loud. For all his scheming he had done since the time he was aware, he never thought of the possibility of a soulmate, let alone two, and definitely not _mortals._

He didn't want this. They could only be liabilities. He was a dragon, and though only hours old he intended on living for many millennia. If they were lucky these two humans would live for maybe a century, and they would only hold him back. Not to mention if any of his enemies knew and tried to use two fragile humans as gambits against him.

There was only one thing to do and that was to get rid of the marks. Obviously, he had to figure out how to unbind himself, it would be better for their sake anyway. He knew the legacy of the black dragonflight he sought to defy, surely these humans would thank him. Who would want to be bound to a black dragon, even an uncorrupted one such as himself?

He added the task to the end of his growing to-do list.


	2. Chapter 2

The day after the conversation with his father, Anduin used his hearthstone to visit Jaina in Theramore. It was midday, per her request, and the mage was having a meal while catching up on some reading.

"Anduin! What a pleasant surprise, I didn't expect to see you so soon!"

Despite his worries, the prince couldn't help but smile at the sight of his adoptive aunt. "Hello, Jaina."

"Here come sit and have some biscuits. Did something happen with your father? You look bothered."

Anduin did as he was told and sat down. He decided not to waste any time.

"No, actually everything is fine with father at the moment. I have something to show you. I got a new soulmark, and I don't know what it is. I was hoping you might recognize the symbol."

Jaina leaned forward to get a better look at his proffered wrist.

"Fascinating," she said after a moment. She searched her memory, trying to think of anything she had seen that was like it. "I'm sorry, it's not ringing any bells, but I can certainly do some research for you. Do you mind if I sketch a copy of it?"

The prince shook his head. "I don't mind, just don't tell anyone what it is. Father wants me to keep it a secret. I think he's worried about what the nobles might think."

"Yes, the soulmates of royals have ever been the subject of public debate. As if you could do anything about whom you're destined to be with," Jaina sighed. "Nobles just like to fret over questions of succession. I wouldn't worry about it until you actually have children. You have plenty of time before you need to worry about that." She grabbed a scrap of parchment and began copying the odd symbol.

Anduin sat still and kept his arm steady while she copied it. Meanwhile, a war raged inside him. The soulmark wasn't the only thing he'd wanted to talk to Jaina about. Finally, he decided he should just come out with it. If he couldn't tell her, then he couldn't tell anyone, and if he didn't tell anyone he thought he might just explode.

"Jaina?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever get a feeling about the kind of person your soulmate was before you met them?"

Jaina absentmindedly continued making notes. "What do you mean?"

"Like did you know Arthas was going to be a boy before you met him?"

Jaina's quill stopped. She looked up at the prince. Her heart went out to him when she saw the fear on his face.

"Jaina, I think... Well, I'm pretty sure now, but... I like... girls... _and_ boys," he stuttered.

Then he took a deep breath and the words came tumbling out. "I think I've always known, but I never thought it would come up because I've always had a feeling that TF was a girl and if my soulmate was a girl then it wouldn't matter because I only ever want to be with my soulmate anyway. But now this happened and I started to feel like this new one could be a boy and I don't know... I'm afraid of what father might think. I'm already not the best with the sword, and he wants me to be a warrior like him so badly, and if he found out maybe he might think I'm not manly enough to--"

"Anduin Wrynn, you stop right there. Who you love doesn't make you any less of a man!"

Jaina very gently took both his hands in hers.

"Listen, you've been given both of your soulmates for a reason. There's absolutely no reason for you to be ashamed of your feelings. It only makes sense that the Light has blessed you with two. Anduin, you've got so much love to give. You're the most kind-hearted person I know. Anyone who tells you that that makes you weak doesn't understand how powerful a force love can be. Trust me, I've studied soulbonds, it is some of the most powerful magic known on Azeroth.

"I can't tell you that having two soulmates is going to be easy, especially with you being a prince, and one day a king. Your life will always be subject to scrutiny, but Anduin that's going to be true no matter who you're with.

"As for your father... he loves you more than anything in the world and there's nothing that can change that. He will understand, though it might take him a little time. He's... battling his own internal demons at the moment."

She only dropped his hands after she saw the relief on his face.

"Thank you... I really needed to hear that."

Jaina looked down at her own, now blank, wrist. "Just promise me when you find your soulmates, you love them as much and for as long as you possibly can."

* * *

It was risky for him to go to the Caverns of Time. The bronze dragons were close to the reds, and Wrathion had no desire to draw attention to himself from any of the flights, especially the reds. Luckily, he managed to blend in with the other whelps flapping aimlessly about the cavern and found his way to the entrance of the pocket dimension that served as Zoridorma's lair.

However, what he found when he entered had him questioning the validity of the precious information he had purchased. Instead of another cavern, which is what he expected from a typical dragon's lair, he hovered in the middle of what looked to be a kitchen.

"What is this?" he murmured. It was a rustic place made of hewn logs and containing wooden furnishings. Water dripped from the hand-pump at the sink. There was a rack of drying dishes next to it. In the middle of the room was a wooden table with long benches on either side of its length. It looked like the kind of place a family might eat before heading out to the fields for the day.

"Are you going to stand there all day or would you like to come in and have a seat like a proper guest?" came a voice from the adjoining room.

Wrathion shifted into his human form and walked through the doorway to find a grey-haired woman knitting a pair of baby socks in front of a cozy fire.

"Zoridorma?" Wrathion asked, bafflement written all over his face.

"You may call me Zori. Please, have a seat," the woman responded, pointing with a knitting needle to a couch against the wall.

Not knowing what else to do, Wrathion took a seat.

It was a comfortable couch, as was the cozy room. Sunlight poured in from the windows to illuminate the old woman's work. A colorful knitted blanket draped the back of each seat. There was a pleasant smell of dried herbs and flowers that were hung up among the rafters. Every surface was draped with a doily.

"You're going to catch flies if you leave your mouth open like that." The wrinkles around the woman's eyes deepened in amusement.

"My apologies, I've just never met a dragon who... well..."

"Would choose to walk around in the form of an old human?" Zori chucked.

"I assume you've seen Alexstrasza's preferred appearance. It seems to be closer to the norm rather than the exception."

"Ah, yes, my mother does like to use her form to her advantage doesn't she?"

Wrathion was shocked to learn Zori was one of Alexstrasza's offspring. He knew that she was a mix of red and bronze, but he never would have guessed Zori was Alexstrasza's daughter. And since there was only one bronze dragon the Life-Binder would deign to mate with...

"Nozdormu is my father, yes," said Zori. "I see your face, young dragon. Don't look so surprised. I'm the reason there aren't more of my kind."

"...because of your soulmark spell."

"Yes. After my spell, the Aspects decided that they would not interbreed so as to not create more dragons with such potent mixed power such as myself."

Wrathion processed this information. It intrigued him, but it wasn't why he had come.

"Zori, I have a question."

"No."

Wrathion couldn't help his mouth dropping open again in surprise. "You haven't even heard it yet!"

"I know the question, my young black dragon. There's only one reason why anyone ever seeks me out. My answer is the same one I give everyone else: no, I will not take away your soulmates, I will not break your bonds."

"Why not?"

"You dare question me?"

Suddenly, her eyes flashed and he saw beyond the wrinkles and the grey hair, catching a glimpse of the real power lurking beneath. She was a dragon almost rivaling the Aspects in size. Both her color and her power was the mix of red and bronze. He saw it manifest as a blaze of unearthly pink fire that could reveal the hearts of all the sentient beings in the universe and rearrange time itself.

In a blink, the vision was gone. All that was left was the simplicity of the guise that he did not understand.

"Oh my dear, even if I could break your bonds I wouldn't. Your connections in particular are important. Despite how they shun me, not even dragons can deny the power of soulbonds. I warn you against ignoring them. You must be patient, my young black dragon, you will understand in time."

And with that, the strands of control Wrathion had been grasping at slipped from his fingers.

* * *

When Jaina thinks back on the time right before her world exploded it's a blur. She remembers with mixed feelings the weeks and weeks of fruitless research trying to find the Focusing Iris that ended up being the destruction of her city.

The only bright spot in the darkness surrounding those memories was getting to meet Kalecgos.

Neither had each other's soulmark, but the bond of the blank spaces on their wrists felt plenty strong. Both of them understood what it was like to have a soulmate ripped away too early.

They only had one conversation where he explained Anveena and she talked about Arthas. The commonalities of their experience were enough to tie them together for those crazy days and nights filled with research, and the occasional night filled with each other.

It was during pillow talk that the blue dragon finally inquired, "Why do you have the draconic symbol for anger on your desk?"

Jaina continued running her fingers through blue hair, not registering what he asked.

"Hmm?"

"You have a scrap of paper with draconic on it pinned to your desk. I was surprised to see it, I don't think I've ever seen draconic written down by mortals before. It's rarely used by dragons."

"What are you talking about?"

Kalec searched her face and realized she really didn't know. He rolled out of bed and crossed the room to her desk.

When Kalec brought her the slip of paper she kept of Anduin's soulmark her heart almost stopped.

She sat up in bed, clutching the parchment between her hands. "You're telling me that this is draconic? As in, if a dragon were to write their name they might use this symbol?"

Kalec's brow knitted with concern. "I suppose if part of a dragon's name meant something like rage or wrath then yes, that's what they would use. Why? Why do you have this?"

"Kalecgos, can you keep a secret?" Jaina said, looking up at him.

He got back into bed beside her. "Anything for the lady of Theramore."

At the sound of those words, her heart fluttered. However, that didn't stop the dread she felt from looking at the paper.

"About a year ago, this soulmark appeared on the arm of my adopted nephew, Anduin Wrynn."

The blue dragon's eyebrows shot up. "So the crown prince of Stormwind has a dragon for a soulmate... and a very young one at that."

"Apparently," responded Jaina. "What does this mean? Has this ever happened before? I mean I know of you and Anveena, but she wasn't exactly human."

Kalec gave her a sad look that made her nervous.

"Yes, actually I do know of another example," Kalec said, "I was once promised to a blue dragon named Tyrygosa. She was bonded to a human paladin named Jorad Mace."

Jaina shook her head in confusion. "Wait, you were promised to her? But if you both had soulmates that weren't each other..."

"Both of us had non-draconic soulmarks. It was for this reason that our flight encouraged us to be together."

"I don't understand."

Kalec sighed. "In dragon culture, we take the continuation of the flight very seriously. Everyone is expected to... contribute. Dragons often have multiple consorts, and clutches are usually raised by a community. Things are a bit different now, but you should probably know... even dragons with soulmates are not often monogamous."

"I see." Her mind wandered briefly from her concerns about Anduin to her current relationship with the dragon sitting beside her. "What happened to this Tyryogosa and her paladin?"

The blue dragon shrugged. "I'm not sure. Last time I saw her she was leaving for the Outlands with Jorad. After everything that's happened with our flight... Let's just say we're not together anymore and no one is expecting us to be."

She nodded. That meant Kalec was unattached, but Jaina was once again reminded of the extreme differences between them. She pushed the thought aside and looked back at the copy of the soulmark in her hands.

"Any guesses on which flight this might be from?" she asked and handed him back the paper.

Kalec studied it for a second. "All I can tell you is his soulmate is probably not a blue. I think would have heard of any hatchings that happened during the time you say it appeared."

"I've got to tell Anduin about this."

"And Varian?"

Jaina hesitated. "I don't know."

She wouldn't get a chance to tell either of them before the bomb.


	3. Chapter 3

Traveling to the Tavern in the Mists had been long and exhausting, especially for someone who was still recovering from having almost every bone in their body broken. Even with the pain, Anduin thought it was still better than a terrifying trip on one of the Pandaren kites. Besides, using the path up the Veiled Stair had given him a chance to get the lay of the land.

It was a beautiful place with its green-topped cliffs, swirling mists, and friendly inhabitants. Nearby the inn, there were several little shops and market stalls being patronized by travelers of all races that Anduin made a mental note to visit later.

Tong, the owner of the tavern, met the party outside. The older Pandaren was a quiet but welcoming fellow who humbly showed Anduin, the guards, and the servant about his establishment and to their respective rooms.

Anduin was starting to get restless in his room when the guards finally came back from doing their sweep of the place. They informed him that everything seemed to be in order, and he was free to move about the tavern.

"The leader of the Blacktalons, the neutral faction that has their headquarters here, has expressed an interest in meeting you if you'd like to come down to the common room, your highness," said the captain.

Grabbing his cane, Anduin eagerly followed his guards as they made their way down. He had heard that the leader of the Blacktalons was the last uncorrupted black dragon in existence. He was amazed that the SI:7 had deemed the so-called Black Prince nonthreatening. Despite his previous harrowing experience with black dragons, Anduin was very curious.

"Prince Anduin, may I introduce Prince Wrathion of the black dragonflight, leader of the Blacktalons."

Sitting on a bench, flanked by two women, one human, one orc, was a boy who looked about his age. Though his outfit was outlandish, Anduin couldn't help but notice an alluring charisma about him. Anduin froze when his eyes met the glowing red ones.

Suddenly heat flared on his wrist where his soulmarks hid. He grabbed it with his other hand. It felt as if he held his arm over a fire, but not close enough to burn.

Those red eyes flashed as the Black Prince rose slowly from his seat. About a thousand thoughts went through Anduin's head, but he quickly determined he'd better take control of the situation before his guard noticed anything was amiss.

As the dragon opened his mouth to speak, Anduin took a step forward and offered him a formal bow.

"Prince Wrathion, it is a pleasure to meet you," Anduin said. Then angling himself so the guards wouldn't see, the blonde prince mouthed a silent "please," and gave a pointed look.

Wrathion raised an eyebrow but got the message. The Alliance prince didn't want his guard knowing he had just met his soulmate.

"Prince Anduin, the pleasure is mine," he responded and gave a respectful bow of his own. "I wanted to personally welcome you to the tavern. As I told your guard, consider yourself under my protection while you're here."

"Thank you. Hopefully, our presence will not cause any trouble."

Wrathion smirked. "On the contrary, I look forward to speaking with you. Perhaps you'd like to join me for this evening's meal?"

Anduin narrowed his eyes, but responded, "Very well... Now if you'll excuse me, I... have some more unpacking to do." It was a lie, but Anduin needed to get out of there before he said or did something to give away the secret.

"Until later then."

Anduin inclined his head in acknowledgment and then retreated back to his room.

* * *

Anduin closed, locked, and leaned his back against the door. His head was spinning, thoughts in turmoil, as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he had a black dragon for a soulmate.

He unwound his wrist covering and looked at the strange mark there. _Draconic_ , he thought. No wonder he had never been able to find the origin of the symbol.

At the sounds of the window unlatching and a soft thunk, Anduin looked up to see a small black dragon whelp tumble onto the floor of his room.

"AH!" Anduin yelped when with a poof of black smoke the Black Prince was suddenly standing there.

Half a second later, there was a knocking at his door. "Prince Anduin? Is everything all right?" said the guard captain.

Anduin eyed the other prince. Wrathion simply smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine... just moved too quickly. Thank you!"

The two princes stared at each other as they listened to the sounds of footsteps get further away.

"What are you trying to pull?!" hissed Anduin as soon as he felt safe enough to speak without being overheard.

"What does it look like? I'm having a proper meeting with my _soulmate_ ," Wrathion said with sarcastic emphasis on the last word.

Anduin scoffed, "Soulmates! I can't believe this. I'm sorry, but how can this be possible?! I'm the crown prince of Stormwind! I can't have a dragon as a... as a--"

"I quite agree," interrupted Wrathion.

Anduin looked up in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course, I'm no more pleased with this than you are. I have my Blacktalons and champions to manage. I have a legacy to build! You think it's ideal for me to be bonded to a mortal?"

Anduin was relieved that they seemed to be in agreement about the ridiculousness of the situation, but he bristled at the way the other prince said the word mortal.

"Right... So... We both agree this is crazy. What do we do? Doesn't this mean we're _destined_ to be together?"

"I've always been of the mind that one should make their own destiny, don't you agree?" asked Wrathion. "Just because we have each other's marks, doesn't mean we aren't free to make our own choices."

"That's true," said Anduin. "You do seem... busy with your own things. If you want I could send a letter to my father. I'm sure his head will explode and he'll have me moved somewhere else."

Wrathion hesitated. "I don't think that's necessary. Besides, I was serious when I said wanted to speak with you. I do have some topics I wish to hear your opinions on. It's not every day one gets to meet a prince of the Alliance."

Anduin raised an eyebrow. So the dragon wasn't interested in getting to know him, he just wanted information about the Alliance. Since Anduin wasn't privy to any top-secret information he didn't see the harm in talking. Not to mention it would be a pain to have to pack up and move somewhere else. Plus, despite this revelation, the blonde prince was still intrigued by the dragon.

"Fine. Then it seems we're both going to be sharing this inn for a while. Why don't we just agree to... coexist?" offered Anduin.

"Coexist," repeated Wrathion. "I'm amenable."

Anduin gave a curt nod. "Good."

"So shall I see you at dinner?"

"Dinner, yes."

"Come prepared, I have many questions," said Wrathion as he turned back towards the window.

"I'll have plenty of my own."

Wrathion nodded, then with another poof of smoke, turned back into his whelp form, and flapped out the window.

It took every ounce of discipline and diplomatic training for Anduin to keep a straight face. The contrast between the Black Prince persona and the cute little whelpling was too comically jarring. He shook his head as he went to the window and closed it.

* * *

An ocean away, a young raven-haired girl sat watching the ships sail in and out of the harbor of Boralus. She stroked a little white and grey gryphon curled up in her lap.

For each ship that passed by, she wondered what people were on them, where they had just come from, and what interesting things they had done. She imagined she was on those ships, off to have adventures and see the world.

Taelia Fordragon wanted adventure so bad it hurt.

Suddenly there was a warmth on her wrist she'd never felt before. Both her soulmarks were emanating a strange heat.

"Oh," she gasped.

She didn't know how she knew, but she got the feeling that her soulmates, the two she had been given, had just met each other.

"Oh." This time the sound came out a sob.

Never had she felt more alone.

She watched another ship float out of the harbor. Somewhere out there the other two pieces of her soul had just found each other and she was stuck in the same place she always had been. Abandoned by everyone. Exiled on an island.

A little chirp sounded from the bundle of fluffy feathers on her lap and she felt the gryphon nuzzle her hand, asking for more petting.

Taelia smiled despite the tears forming in her eyes and complied. "You're right Galeheart. I've got you, and I've got Cyrus, and if he makes me his squire maybe one day I can be a knight! Then when I meet them we'll go on lots of adventures. At least... when I meet them they'd better have good stories to tell."

She looked out over the horizon and tried not to be too jealous.


	4. Chapter 4

Dining with Wrathion was an experience. The dragon was the kind of conversationalist who somehow spent an extraordinary amount of time talking about himself, but always asked Anduin questions at the right times, and still seemed genuinely interested in his answers. Anduin didn't mind the monologuing so much. Wrathion had a pleasant voice. Not to mention Anduin was able to get a good picture of who the dragon was, and what he was trying to accomplish.

They talked all throughout dinner and for hours after the meal had been cleared away. In that time, Wrathion explained who he was, how he had killed the remaining corrupted black dragons of his flight, and that he sought to save the world from being destroyed. Anduin was still uncertain about _how_ Wrathion planned to do that, but it seemed to have something to do with challenging and rewarding champions from both the Alliance and Horde.

As expected, the knowledge Wrathion seemed most interested to learn about Anduin was everything related to the inner-workings of the Alliance. Specifically Anduin's relationship with his father, what his father was like, Anduin's relationship with the other Alliance leaders, and what Anduin thought of all of them. The prince shared as much as he felt comfortable sharing which was nothing Wrathion probably didn't already know. Though the dragon did seem to care about the fate of the Azeroth, Anduin didn't trust him. Wrathion was all impatient ambition. Anduin could already see Wrathion would stop at little to achieve his goals.

Even with all the talking, the conversation did nothing to help answer the biggest question on Anduin's mind: why were they soulmates?

The two princes were the last guests to leave the common room that night. They accompanied each other upstairs.

When they reached Anduin's door he asked, "Would you mind coming in for a moment? There's something else I'd like to ask you."

With a glance towards Anduin's guards who had positioned themselves on either end of the hallway, Wrathion agreed and entered. Anduin shut the door behind them.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to see my initials on your arm," said Anduin.

"Only if I can see mine on yours. Are you afraid I've played some sort of practical joke?" Wrathion teased and began rolling up his sleeve.

Anduin undid the wrap on his wrist. "You know the saying, trust but verify," Anduin said with a grin. "In all honesty, I'm just curious if..." he trailed off as he took a step forward to get a better look at the golden marks on Wrathion's skin. Anduin held up his arm to compare his own deep blue ones. In addition to the marks the boys had for each other, they both realized the scrawled handwriting of the "TF" on their arms was exactly the same.

Anduin murmured, "...you've got hers too."

"Hers?"

"Just a feeling I've always had," explained Anduin.

Wrathion pulled his arm away and put his sleeve back. "Well, if you ask me this is perfect. You and our other mortal soulmate are free to become the king and queen of Stormwind while the bothersome black dragon goes off to save the world!"

Anduin frowned. "If that's what we all decide... and that's what you really want."

"It is. It will be better this way."

Anduin was amazed at the dragon's decisive confidence.

"I suppose my father would be less likely to kill you."

Wrathion side-eyed the other prince.

"I'm joking!" exclaimed Anduin. "...I think."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Anduin formed a routine. The mornings consisted of breakfast in his room followed by long painful hours of healing and physical therapy with the mistweavers. At midday, he would eat lunch with Wrathion then watch him take meetings with the champions for a while. After that, they would often take walks when the weather was good, or play games inside if the weather was bad. Dinner was always shared in the common room, followed by games of jihui. After returning to his room for the night, Anduin found time to read a little of whatever book Wrathion had recommended before going to bed.

Anduin spent most nights staring at the ceiling thinking of Wrathion to distract himself from the aches of his bones knitting themselves back together. It usually worked; Wrathion gave him a lot to think about.

His soulmate was full of surprises. He supposed he shouldn't expect less from a dragon. If Anduin had been worried before about being around a black dragon given everything he'd been through, he wasn't anymore. Wrathion seemed completely open and honest with him. He didn't hide the many meetings he took with champions from both factions, and even actively sought Anduin's input.

Wrathion certainly wasn't afraid of sharing his opinions either. The two princes spent hour after hour over games, meals, and walks discussing everything under the sun. Most of their conversations started with discussing current events or news brought by the champions and always seemed to boil down to philosophical debates. Anduin found they agreed on almost nothing except one fundamental value: they both wanted to see the world safe and at peace.

Though, the extent to which Wrathion seemed willing to go to achieve that peace bothered Anduin. Wrathion didn't seem to care about the cost. Often times Anduin felt he was wasting his breath talking in circles with the dragon, but occasionally he would make a good point and see a glimmer of acknowledgment from Wrathion. The more they talked, the more he found he understood Wrathion's perspective as well, even if he didn't agree with it.

Despite their differences, and sometimes even because of them, Anduin enjoyed his time with Wrathion. The only problem was the confusion that overcame him whenever he thought about the fact that they were soulbound. He didn't understand how they were destined to be together. Even though Wrathion seemed determined to continue on with their lives ignoring it, Anduin doubted they would be able to forever. He was reminded of the lessons he learned during priest training with Velen. Though the future wasn't set in stone, soulbonds were one of those trends of fate that, if broken, tended to have serious consequences.

* * *

Anduin and Wrathion were playing jihui one evening when a Pandaren couple walked into the tavern with their baby girl.

The young panda was extremely cute and toddled around the inn greeting everyone. She even managed to get small smiles from the stoic Left and Right.

Absolutely enamored, Anduin offered to watch her while her parents ate their dinner. The little Pandaren sat on his lap babbling happily as the two princes continued their game.

"Have you noticed that all Pandaren seem to have soulmarks?"

Wrathion did not look up from contemplating his next move. "I had not noticed."

"I think only about half the people I know have them."

"That's what happens when two factions wage war for decades. Also, your sample pool is skewed."

"What do you mean?" asked Anduin.

"Your father lost your mother when you were very young. Lady Proudmore's soulmate was the Lich King. Your other two parental figures were Lord Bolvar and my aunt, neither of which had them. Most people around you are soldiers or leaders who tend to lose mates in said wars."

Anduin looked at the pattern of a white Pandaren symbol in the black fur of the little girl's wrist.

"The Pandaren take such pride in their strong relationships. All I'm saying is... that's nice."

Wrathion looked up from the jihui board. He was saved from responding by the return of the little Pandaran's parents.

"Thank you for watching her, your highness, I hope she wasn't too much trouble," said her father as he lifted the girl onto his shoulders. The sound of her giggles filled the inn.

"She was an angel, thank you for letting me watch her."

The blonde prince smiled as he watched them leave. When he turned back, he saw Wrathion looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"Let's take a walk," said the dragon. Anduin knew such a suggestion in the middle of a game meant slipping his guards so they could talk freely.

"What is it?" asked Anduin as soon as they escaped.

"I saw the way you looked at that family," said Wrathion.

"And how's that?"

"With _longing_."

"Is that so strange?" asked Anduin. "I've often thought about how nice it'd be to have two bonded, loving parents."

Wrathion gave him a hard look. "Why bonded?"

"Isn't that typically how it works?"

"Why do you seem so certain that soulbonds work?" challenged the dragon.

"Why do you seem so certain that they don't?" Anduin shot back.

Wrathion stopped walking and turned to face him. "I'm a dragon bound to humans, Anduin. You do realize I'm supposed to live significantly longer than both of you? Let's say I did buy into the whole soulmate thing. Am I supposed to look forward to a century of watching the two of you grow old and die? What am I supposed to do after that?"

Anduin was quiet for a moment.

Finally, he responded, "You're going to have a long life. Just because we're your soulmates now doesn't mean you won't have others later."

Wrathion didn't say anything.

"What's to say you won't have a family like that too? That you won't find another dragon to settle down with?" Anduin continued.

Wrathion made an incredulous noise.

"No, I am certain I will be the last of my kind. I was created as a science experiment. I've had to kill all the other black dragons. It's not as if dragons from the other flights will mate with me either. Who would want to help continue the line of Deathwing? With everything my flight has done, I don't blame them. I'm destined to be alone." Wrathion began walking again.

Before he got out of reach Anduin grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him back. "No, you're not!"

Wrathion looked at him in surprise. Anduin was surprised at himself.

"Listen... I know what we said before. You're not interested in being tied down to humans, and I have my kingdom to think about... but I still think these marks on our arms mean something. At the very least, wouldn't you consider us friends?"

"Friends?" Wrathion thought for a moment. "As much as I can have a friend, I suppose you do fit that description."

There was an odd feeling in his chest Anduin decided to save for analysis later. "So as long as I'm alive, we can be friends. You can't be truly alone when you have a friend. Though I know... I know that doesn't help with the problem of your flight. However, I think you may be selling yourself short. I knew Onyxia, and I saw what Deathwing did; you're nothing like them. Anyone who talks to you, or just stands in your vicinity for even a minute should be able to figure that out."

Anduin started walking again thinking Wration would follow. After a few steps, Anduin turned back to see Wrathion giving him a strange look. "What?"

Wrathion shook his head and kept walking. "Nothing... I think you're calling me garrulous."

Anduin laughed. "You are. You never shut up."

"Are you complaining?"

Anduin thought about what life would be like at the tavern if Wrathion hadn't been there. "No, I'm not."

* * *

After that, they became inseparable. They spent nearly every waking moment together. Anduin got up every morning to find Wrathion at his door. The last thing he did before going to bed at night was to push the dragon from his room. It seemed Wrathion had taken the change in their relationship from coexistence to friends with extreme sincerity.

Despite the constant proximity, Anduin still found himself waking up eager to see Wrathion every morning. They never ran out of things to talk about, and their debates continued to fill him with excitement. Anduin blamed it on the fact that he'd never had a friend before.

That's also what he told himself the night he started thinking of Wrathion in less innocent ways.

That morning, Wrathion decided to take the day off from meetings. He'd shown up at Anduin's door in casual clothes without the turban. It was all Anduin could do to keep from staring. He thought of nothing all day but Wrathion's thick wavy hair, wondering how it'd feel if he could just reach out and run his fingers through it...

That night as he stared at the ceiling, he finally admitted to himself that he had a crush on Wrathion.

It was just a crush. A crush wasn't an unreasonable thing to have on a soulmate. It was to be expected even. They could still be friends, Anduin reasoned, he would just have to keep his feelings to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

One night Wrathion and Anduin were up late after having spent hours talking. It had become a habit for them to retire to Anduin's room in the evening, sit in front of the fire, and stay up well past the time when everyone in the tavern was asleep.

They had been debating the nature of the Light, a topic on which Anduin was well versed but Wrathion knew little about. It didn't bother the dragon, he soaked up knowledge like a sponge. Wrathion enjoyed seeing the priest's face light up when explaining a particularly tricky subsection of ideology, and the way his brow would furrow when Wrathion asked a hard question or made a point Anduin had never considered before.

The conversation lulled after Anduin gave what Wrathion thought were unsatisfactory answers about how his power came from his convictions, but the dragon had no proper retort as he couldn't deny the obvious results.

It was a cold night outside, which made sitting in front of the fire in their pajamas even more enjoyable. Anduin lounged on the couch while Wrathion sat on some pillows on the floor, occasionally reaching over to pull a ball of flame from the fire and toss it between his hands.

Anduin watched his antics with amusement.

"You're going to set the inn on fire doing that. Haven't you caused poor Tong enough trouble?"

Wrathion ignored the warning. "Tell me, little priest, what does your religion say about soulbonds?"

Anduin shrugged. "It's a fact of life. Most priests won't perform marriage rites unless the participants are bonded to each other or neither are bonded to anyone. Other than that there isn't much to say, soulmates are supposed to be a blessing."

Wrathion rolled his eyes at the insinuation and Anduin smirked.

"Soulbonds are a fact of life, but soulmarks weren't always. Did you know the reason we have them is because of a dragon?" asked Wrathion.

"No, like I said I thought it was... like gravity. Or the rules of magic."

"It's not common knowledge, not to mention the spell that caused the marks was cast over 20,000 years ago. I had to pay a steep price to find it out myself."

Anduin eyed the dragon. "Why were you looking?"

He didn't know why he asked, he already knew the answer.

Wrathion turned away and tossed the ball of fire back into the hearth. The whoosh of hot air disheveled his hair.

"I wanted to know if soulbonds could be broken."

Something twinged in Anduin's chest. He didn't know why. He had already guessed Wrathion had tried to remove his marks. Wrathion hugged his knees and stared into the fire with his back to the other prince. Anduin slid off the couch and crawled over to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry," whispered Anduin.

The dragon looked at him in surprise, he had expected Anduin's anger. "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry you're stuck with humans. We're still bonded so I'm guessing whatever you tried didn't work."

Wrathion watched the way the firelight danced along the prince's golden hair making it gleam.

"Don't be sorry. I'm not. Not anymore."

It was Anduin's turn to look startled.

"Meeting you has been... surprising. Anduin, you've made me glad soulbonds can't be broken."

Looking into Wrathion's eyes at that moment made Anduin go still. His breath hitched when he saw red eyes flick lower and realized what was about to happen. Wrathion leaned in, bringing his lips closer, then paused. Without hesitation, Anduin met him the rest of the way.

The first brushes were soft and sweet. The next went a bit deeper and were awkward at first, neither of them having any prior experience kissing. They took their time getting the feel of what to do, how to move, and how much was too much. Soon enough, they had it figured out, and Anduin was crawling into the other prince's lap and running his fingers through Wrathion's hair.

Satisfying his curiosity about the texture of the hair allowed Anduin the space to think. Once he started thinking, he started to over-think, and that made him come to a crashing halt. He pulled back.

"What are we doing?!"

Wrathion grinned. "I believe it's called making-out, Anduin--"

"You know what I mean!" Anduin hastily removed himself from the dragon's lap. "I thought you said you didn't buy into the whole soulbond thing!"

"I didn't. I changed my mind. We make a better match than I anticipated, don't you think?"

"What happened to not getting attached to mortals?!"

Wrathion pressed his lips together. "Ever since you decided we should be friends--"

"Oh, _I_ decided--!"

"--ever since then, I started to realize that an attachment may have developed without my cognizance. During this time, I observed you developed a similar attachment--"

"How?" Anduin asked, cursing himself silently. Were his feelings so obvious?

"How what?"

"How did you figure out I had a crush on you too?"

Wrathion's eyes brightened at the confirmation, but then he looked away, almost embarrassed, and answered, "Your scent."

" _What_?"

"I mean I wasn't completely sure until we kissed just now, but whenever we've been alone recently you've started to smell like you wanted to..." Wrathion's eyes wandered to the bed.

"You can _smell_ that?!"

"Not all the time! You humans experience so many emotions at once, and they change so frequently, but being around you so much means I've gotten better at figuring out you specifically." Wrathion waved his hand. "Regardless, I've been thinking... Maybe having a human consort might not be as problematic as I previously thought."

"Consort? What does that mean?! Are you saying you want to be together? What about all your lofty plans? What are you going to do, follow me? I have to leave for Lion's Landing in a week! By the Light, what am I going to tell my father?!"

Wrathion took Anduin's hands between his own. "Calm down."

Anduin was annoyed by the amused smile on Wrathion's face, but he took a deep breath and mentally recited a hymn to recenter himself.

"I'm serious, Wrathion. Have you thought about any of this?"

"Of course I've thought about it! There's no need to fret. We'll take things one step at a time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well first, why don't we see if we even like being together before you start worrying about what to tell your father?"

"We're soulbonded. Isn't it kind of the point that we're supposed to like being together?"

Wrathion rolled his eyes. "My faith in soulbonds is not that strong. I'm still a dragon. You're still a human. Anything can happen, and that's why I think we should just figure things out as we go."

"So let's say you decide that having me around still isn't problematic by the end of this week. What then? I can't stay with you, Wrathion. I have responsibilities."

"And I have mine. We'll figure out that step when we get to it. Don't worry, I have plans in place that should keep me very close to the Alliance."

Anduin's eyes narrowed at that. "Soulmate or not, I'm still not sure I can trust you completely."

Wrathion put on his most charming smile. "It's wise not to trust anyone completely. Now have I answered enough of your questions? Does that ease your troubled mind?"

"A little..."

"Enough so I can go back to kissing you now?"

Anduin's face turned bright red, but he didn't resist when Wrathion slid a hand around his neck, pulled him forward, and kissed him.

After that, every thought flew from Anduin's head except the ones related to Wrathion's warm lips and wandering hands. His own hands went to the dragon's chest and held onto the loose sleep shirt, as Anduin tried to find an anchor in the storm of feelings.

Wrathion took Anduin's wrists and encouraged him to release the death grip he had on the front of the shirt. Then Wrathion littered kisses from his mouth down his neck and gently nipped. His hand roamed down Anduin's chest to slip under his shirt. That sent Anduin's thoughts back into a tailspin of questions.

What were they doing? How far was Wrathion going to go? How much was he expecting? Did he want to go all the way? Anduin squeezed his eyes shut and tried to quell the rising panic.

Wrathion noticed and drew back. "Now your scent is like that of a cornered rabbit, what's wrong Anduin?"

"I'm... not ready for... um..."

Wrathion's eyes danced in amusement, but he withdrew his hand and pushed Anduin's shirt back down.

"You are so strange," he laughed. "You'll run off in an instant to stop Garrosh from using that bell, but the thought of bedding me is enough to strike fear into your brave little heart."

"It's different!" Anduin spluttered and backed away.

Wrathion let him go. "I know, I'm just teasing. And just so you know... I wasn't expecting anything like that."

Anduin sat with his back against the couch, made a frustrated noise, and hid his face in his hands.

Wrathion slid over beside him and gently ran his fingers through Anduin's golden hair. It was soothing. Anduin put his hands down and leaned into the touches and Wrathion's warm embrace.

"Can we just stay like this for a little while?" he murmured.

"Of course, dear prince. As long as you want."

* * *

A week later, as Anduin prepared to leave for Lion's Landing, the two boys planned out their next step.

"I'm going to tell my father we're friends. Which is true. We are friends. Technically we never stopped being friends."

"I think he'll want to know the part about us being the kind of friends that kiss a lot."

Anduin's face reddened. "He doesn't need to know that."

"You should tell him the truth. He's going to find out eventually."

"I am telling him the truth... I'm just not ready to tell him all of it. I want to see how he reacts to the fact that you're my soulmate first."

Wrathion sighed. "He's going to figure it out, Anduin. Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

Jaina and Varian were in the main room at Lion's Landing having just finished a meeting about the plan for the attack on Orgrimmar when they received word that Anduin was to arrive at any moment.

"It's going to be such a relief to have him back," said Varian. "Though, I'll feel better when he's back in Stormwind."

Jaina nodded. "How is he healing?"

"With the help of Velen and the mistweavers, he's almost fully healed, though Velen said there would always be some pain. The mistweavers tell me he's walking without assistance now. Though from his letters I almost wish that weren't the case. It sounds like he's been running around the Veiled Stair doing Light-knows-what. I'm sure he hasn't told me the half of it. Not to mention the guards tell me he's been spending an inordinate amount of time with that dragon--"

"Dragon? What dragon?" interrupted Jaina. Suddenly the conversation she'd had with Kalecgos about Anduin's soulmark came rushing back to her. It seemed like a hundred years had passed since that time before the destruction of Theramore, before taking over the Kirin Tor, before everything. She had always meant to tell Anduin, but somehow never found the right time.

"The SI:7 told me there's a young uncorrupted black dragon running a neutral spy organization there called the Blacktalons. They assure me he's harmless."

A black dragon! Jaina began to panic. "Varian! Is this the same SI:7 that couldn't find one teenager?! The same SI:7 who couldn't keep him from running off to face Garrosh on his own?! How could you send your son to a place like that?!" Jaina exclaimed. If only she had said something sooner!

"Jaina, he's safe! He assures me of this himself. The Blacktalons have been protecting him!"

"You said a young black dragon. Exactly how old is he?"

"Strange that you should ask, but I do remember it sticking out in the report that the dragon is only two years old," Varian said with the shrug. "Not sure how that's possible, but dragons are... different, right? You... uh... well, you know."

Jaina would have rolled her eyes at the king's awkwardness about her own relationship with a dragon but was too busy doing the math. It had been about two years since Anduin had come to her in Theramore with his strange mark. Her stomach dropped.

"Varian, there's something I've been meaning to tell you and Anduin for a while now. It's about Anduin's soulmark... the strange one."

His eyes seemed to bore into her as she steeled herself.

"Kalecgos saw the symbol and recognized it. It's draconic."

"Jaina," he said, voice rising in volume, "Do you mean to tell me that--"

He was interrupted by the entrance of Anduin with his guards.

"Father! Auntie! It's so good to see you!"

The king and the mage turned to look at Anduin. The looks on their faces were quite the contrast to his sunny demeanor. Anduin read the room and frowned when he picked up on the tension.

"What's wrong?"

Varian dismissed the guards from the room which made the young prince shift nervously.

"Anduin, Jaina has just informed me that your second soulmark was recognized by Kalecgos as a draconic symbol."

Anduin took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He wasn't expecting to have this conversation so soon. "It's true."

"Anduin, this black dragon at the tavern--"

"His name is Wrathion. He's... my soulmate."

Varian closed his eyes and shook his head. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the table he was standing behind. "Why didn't you tell me, Anduin?"

Anduin looked warily at his father, he was sure that his father was going to start shouting or breaking things at any moment, but he had to get this out.

"I was afraid of what you would think about my... preferences," admitted Anduin.

"Light, Anduin, why would I care about that?! Your soulmate is a _black dragon_!"

At those words, a weight lifted from the prince's shoulders. He continued, "But father, there's nothing to worry about! The two of us are friends. He's not interested in a... traditional relationship, and I agreed given my responsibilities to the kingdom."

Varian looked at him skeptically. "Friends? Really?"

"He doesn't believe in soulbonds."

"He _says_ he doesn't believe in soulbonds," growled Varian. "Do you believe him?"

Anduin shrugged. "I do. Besides, it works out for both of us. He's on the Timeless Isle right now busy running his organization. Our time at the Tavern in the Mists allowed me to get an idea of who he is, and it's true, he's nothing like the rest of his flight. In fact, he's obsessed with forging a new legacy, a positive one in service to Azeroth. I have no reason to believe he'll be any harm to me or to the Alliance."

Varian thought for a moment and examined his son who seemed suspiciously stoic.

"I trust your judgment, Anduin, but I do not trust this dragon. You are the heir to the throne and represent potential power, I find it hard to believe a black dragon would let you go so easily."

Anduin didn't say anything.

Varian let out a breath and released the table, recognizing that he needed to think more about this before his frustration got the better of him.

"Regardless," he continued, "I'm glad you're back. It'll be nice to have a voice of reason around here again." The king tossed an accusing look towards Jaina who rolled her eyes. She had thought it wise to keep quiet during the father and son's discussion. Anduin gave a nervous laugh.

"Anduin, I would like to speak with Jaina. This discussion is not over, though. Why don't you go unpack and rest? We will talk more later."

Anduin agreed without hesitation and escaped the room quickly, relieved to have that initial conversation over with. He was sure he was in for a heavy round of questioning later, but at least his father wasn't yelling or breaking things... yet.

Varian watched Anduin close the door behind him before turning back to Jaina.

"That's a relief."

"What's a relief?"

"They're friends. It sounds like Anduin is keeping his distance. With everything else going on, I don't have to worry about my son getting manipulated by another black dragon."

"So you missed the love bite on his neck then?"

"The WHAT?!" Varian shouted.

Jaina shook her head. "I have a feeling that Anduin may have been bending the truth."

"I swear if I have to kill _another_ black dragon--"

"Friends or not, I doubt he would take kindly to you killing his soulmate, Varian. I know he wasn't being honest with us, but you should trust your son. He's not stupid. What I'm worried about is his heart."

"I can't believe... Why would he... How could he--"

Jaina sighed, "Oh Varian, he's a teenager. Don't you remember what it was like to be around your soulmate for the first time?"

Was that a _blush_ she saw on the face of the stalwart Alliance king?

"It was different!" he protested.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Varian?"

"The first time we met... Tiffin... she uh... she took me to her bed that very night."

Jaina laughed.

"We were older! We were of age! Light, Jaina, you don't think they've..."

"Knowing Anduin? Probably not. But Varian, soulbound people rarely end up existing as anything other than romantic partners. Though you know as well as I do that none of us are guaranteed a happy ending. We don't know what the future will hold."

"I know! Which is why I feel so... helpless. I try so hard to keep him safe, but there's nothing I can do about this. I can't save him from heartbreak."

Jaina gave him a sympathetic look. "Just let him know you'll be there for him. That's all you can do."


	6. Chapter 6

As Anduin expected, he was sat down by his father and Jaina and given a very long talk.

Well, Jaina talked. Varian shouted, but insisted that he was talking at a normal volume. Anduin was just relieved his father wasn't angry with him, it was obvious the king was just upset with the circumstances.

Anduin tried to reassure them that he had the same lack of trust in Wrathion as they did, but that didn't stop them from going on and on about guarding his heart and soulbonds not always being a guarantee for happiness.

He'd heard all of it before. Light, he'd told himself the same things over and over again. That didn't stop him from missing Wrathion and sending him letters as often as he could in the days following the Siege of Orgrimmar.

His father had yelled when Anduin told him he'd invited Wrathion to Garrosh's trial. For once, Anduin had a hard time caring. Despite his nerves surrounding the inevitability of being asked to testify about the former warchief, Anduin still counted down the days to when he'd see his soulmate again.

By some miracle, he managed to arrange to arrive at the Temple of the White Tiger before his father and Jaina. That didn't stop his over-eager guard from trying to make sure Anduin was never alone with anyone let alone Wrathion. It didn't work of course. Sneaking off, Anduin almost felt sorry for them. He could only imagine what his father must have threatened them with as the consequence of letting their prince out of their sight. However, Anduin forgot all of that as soon as he was in Wrathion's arms again.

In the days of the trial, they stole small moments with each other. They didn't get as much time together as Anduin would have liked since Wrathion avoided Varian like his life depended on it. Even so, with the stress of the trial, having Wrathion there to talk to was such a comfort in the time they had together.

For once, it was Anduin who had done most of the talking. The dragon was uncharacteristically pensive, but Anduin didn't think much of it due to everything else on his mind.

When he thought back on it later, he wondered how he missed the fact that the dragon had been so quiet.

* * *

The trial was over. The celestials were about to pass judgment on Garrosh. The unapologetic orc was busy monologuing. Chromie was nowhere to be found which meant something was wrong.

Anduin ignored the pain in his legs as he ran through the halls of the temple trying to get to the place where Garrosh had been held. He had to find Chromie. Anduin had a sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen. Those feelings were confirmed when he saw the chained up and unconscious Chu brothers who had been the jailers for the orc. After trying to heal them, he found Chromie in Garrosh's cage.

"Anduin, you have to stop Kairozdormu from doing whatever he's planning! Please, you have to hurry!" begged Chromie.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," came a familiar lilting voice behind him.

"No," Anduin whispered when he turned to see Wrathion standing there with Left and Right. "Wrathion, what are you doing?!"

"What I must, Anduin. I'm keeping the world safe. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you never would have agreed."

"Agreed with what, Wrathion? Tell me what's going on! Let me help!" Anduin pleaded.

Wrathion scoffed and shook his head. "It's too soon. I was going to come back for you later after we proved that our plan works. Unfortunately, now you must choose."

"Don't listen to him Anduin!" shouted Chromie from inside the cell.

Ignoring the other dragon, Wrathion stepped up to Anduin and cupped his face. "Come with me, Anduin. Help me save the world."

Anduin searched his soulmate's face. "Tell me what's going on."

"There isn't enough time to explain, just know that I'm making sure the world will be ready when the Burning Legion comes."

Anduin's heart raced as he tried to pull his thoughts together. "You didn't tell me, Wrathion. You didn't tell me because it means something about your plan is wrong. How can I possibly go with you knowing that?! I have my duty, my responsibility to Stormwind!"

Wrathion's eyes flashed. "Your kingdom will be nothing if the Burning Legion gets its way! Anduin, please! If you come with me we can be together without any obstacles, we can work together to keep the world safe!"

"I... can't. Wrathion, I can't. Don't do this." In one last desperate attempt, Anduin kissed him and tried to pour everything he felt into it, willing him to stay.

"Wrathion, I... I love you," Anduin choked out.

Wrathion drew back and looked at him sadly. "You have your duty, and I have mine. I'm sorry, my dear prince."

Tears were streaming down Anduin's face now. "Wrathion, please--"

Wrathion cast the sleeping spell and Anduin knew no more. Wrathion cradled him and laid him down gently as Anduin slumped to the floor.

Wrathion brushed the blonde hair from Anduin's face. "I'm going to fix everything. I promise I'm going to make this up to you."

Then without a glance towards the stunned Chromie in the cage, Wrathion took his bodyguards and left.

* * *

Anduin held himself together the entire day. He held it together through the battle against themselves from a different timeline, all through the celestials' decision about Garrosh, and all through the aftermath. Finally, after being fussed over by the healers, Anduin was alone in his room.

As soon as he closed and locked the door, the dam inside him broke and all the emotions he'd been keeping in check spilled out.

He stumbled to the bed and collapsed onto it sobbing. The feeling in his chest was reminiscent of being under a ton of wrecked bell. He never would have expected heartbreak to physically _hurt_ like this. It was like he couldn't get enough air, his chest heaving as the tears drenched the pillow.

He cried until he was too tired to cry any more. As he laid there staring at the ceiling, he replayed in his mind everything that had happened. He wondered how he missed it, why couldn't he have seen what Wrathion was planning? How could he have trusted him? Wrathion was his soulmate, they were supposed to be able to trust each other! He had handed his heart to Wrathion on a silver platter despite everyone's warnings. How could he have been so stupid?

Anduin pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, feeling a headache coming on from crying so much. He reached out for the Light, seeking its familiar warmth and calm.

His concentration broke at the sound of a knock at the door.

"Go away!" he shouted. He was beyond caring about decorum.

"Anduin, please let me in, I won't stay long," came the muffled voice of Varian through the door.

Anduin wiped his face on his sleeve then got up to let his father in.

"Before you ask, no, I'm not okay," said Anduin, opening the door.

"I wouldn't expect you to be," responded Varian as he entered the room.

"You're probably happy about this right? Jaina too. If you came to say 'I told you so' I don't want to hear it."

Varian cleared his throat. "I came to... offer my sympathies."

Anduin gave his father an incredulous look.

"Look, just because I might be glad the dragon is gone doesn't mean I like seeing you hurt. I'm here because my son lost his soulmate today and... I know what that's like."

"I didn't... Wrathion isn't dead," said Anduin. He could see his father was trying.

Varian refrained from saying what he was thinking which was, 'it's only a matter of time.' Instead, he took a deep breath and tried putting aside his own feelings to better support his son.

"He's not here. You don't know if you'll see him again. It's still a loss, and you'll need time to mourn it."

"I don't want to _mourn_ him. I'm just... confused and angry. I don't understand it! Why are we soulmates if he's just going to betray me?" Anduin shook his head, trying to keep away the tears pricking at his eyes again.

"I couldn't tell you," said Varian, "Have you considered that maybe this is why you have two? You've got another soulmate. Her mark is in common so at least we know she's not a dragon."

"She's not a _replacement_ ," Anduin snapped.

"That's not what I meant--"

"It doesn't matter, he had TF on his arm too! The three of us are bonded which I assume means all of us are supposed to be together eventually. How is that supposed to work if he's off playing savior of Azeroth?!" Anduin made a frustrated noise and flopped onto the bed in true teenage fashion.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this," Varian huffed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I wish your mother were here, she'd know exactly what to say."

Anduin looked up at his father from the pillow he'd buried his face in. "What do you think she'd say?"

"She'd probably advise patience. She'd tell you that just because you're bonded to someone doesn't mean you're always going to like their choices. Light knows I tested her patience plenty." Varian shook his head. "I don't know, Anduin. She'd probably be just as angry as I am to see you hurt."

Anduin sat up cross-legged on the bed and looked at his father. With all the things that had happened that day, his father still took the time to come and see if he was okay after Wrathion's betrayal. Anduin felt a bit guilty for yelling at him.

"I just... need some time," said Anduin. "...and as much as I love Pandaria... I think I'm ready to go home."

That put a look of relief of Varian's face. "Of course, son. We can be on a ship tomorrow if you want."

Anduin nodded and then moved over so he could hug his father. "Thank you."

After Varian left, Anduin got ready for bed despite the fact that he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He cried a bit more and then laid awake thinking.

Maybe his father was right. Maybe he should just move past Wrathion and focus on his other soulmate. Though, the thought of extricating Wrathion from his heart like that made his chest hurt and brought more tears to his eyes. He decided to think about that later.

For the first time, Anduin looked at his wrist and felt sadness and dread. Despite his anger, Anduin was worried that he might look down at any moment to see Wrathion's mark disappear as the indication that the dragon's plan had gotten him killed. Anduin did his best to push those thoughts aside, too.

It seemed like there was nothing he could do to keep from going down rabbit holes that ended in tears, so Anduin did the only thing he could do which was pray. Finally, after hours of reaching out to the Light for comfort, Anduin fell asleep exhausted and gladly dreamt of nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, left kudos, and bookmarked. I appreciate all of you. I also wanted to say that if anyone wants to take this soulmate AU idea and use it, please feel free. I'm a sucker for soulmate AUs, I would love to see more of them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeskip! 
> 
> Edit - adding to this note because I'm cleaning up the story tags:  
> Warning for implied drunk sex. (The story was rated M when this chapter was posted, there's nothing explicit in this chapter.)
> 
> Brief Taelia/Flynn followed by platonic Taelia & Flynn. They do a stupid, but I promise it works out in the end.

Taelia Fordragon woke up the morning of her twentieth birthday and prepared for her day like any other. She got ready for her job as a Proudmore Guard. She'd taken the position the year she graduated top of her class at the Proudmore Academy. It had been an accomplishment, especially after managing to annoy every single one of her teachers by simply being competent. It wasn't her fault that her guardian, Sir Cyrus Crestfall, had already taught her how to ride, fight, and sail by the time she got there.

When she landed at the bottom of the stairs and entered the kitchen, she found Cyrus at the stove. On the table was a stack of pancakes with a couple of little pink candles on top.

"Cyrus! You didn't have to do this!" she said with a smile.

The big man harrumphed. "I won't be here tonight to celebrate with you. I had to do something."

She gave him a peck on the cheek before sitting down at the table, blowing out the candles, and digging in.

"Are you still going out with Flynn tonight?"

Taelia paused and swallowed carefully before responding, "Yes."

Cyrus gave a long sighed. "I hope you have a good time."

She dipped her head and kept eating. He didn't approve, but she knew the fact that he didn't say more meant he trusted her.

He joined her at the table with his own breakfast. "I left some reports by the door for you to take to the keep on your way to work today."

She nodded. "I won't forget."

Running such errands for the knight was part of her responsibility as his squire. She had been Cyrus's squire for about two years ever since his previous one retired and she single-handedly beat out all the other applicants. She was a fine warrior with good instincts, and no one could say she hadn't earned her position.

After breakfast, she said goodbye and took off for the stables. It was time for her favorite part of the day.

"How's my girl this morning?" she said to Galeheart. The gryphon cooed at Taelia in response, shook out her feathers, and laid down patiently waiting for Taelia to saddle up.

Laughter bubbled up out of her as they took to the skies. Flying never got old. She took Galeheart through her paces, doing their normal exercises to keep the bird healthy. As a treat to herself, Taelia even practiced a few loops, dives, and freefalling, all of which never failed to get her heart pounding. Galeheart cawed happily, sensing Taelia's joyful mood.

After returning, Taelia gave her a once over, making sure her claws and paws were clean and straightening out any bent feathers. The good thing about gryphons though was they did a good job preening and cleaning themselves.

Taelia dropped Cyrus's report off with the indifferent page at the Proudmore Keep and went to work. It was a standard day. The life of a guard was half paperwork and half standing around waiting for things to cause more paperwork. Luckily the day passed uneventfully, and her captain even let her go home a bit early.

Taelia came home to the empty apartment above the harbormaster's office and took her time getting pretty for that evening. As she stood in front of the mirror doing her hair, she glanced at the soulmarks on her wrist. She glanced away again guiltily.

The knock on the door signaled the arrival of Flynn.

She laughed at the "bouquet" of star moss flowers he'd clearly just pulled off a wall somewhere.

"It's the thought that counts," she said as she got the flowers a vase anyway.

Walking to Hops, Line, and Sinker Brewing, they fell into their typical banter and harmless flirtation.

Taelia and Flynn had known each other for almost a year. She'd arrested him for public intoxication but then vouched for him after it became clear the man needed help, not a jail cell. Cyrus had been hiring him to run missions with her ever since, and he slowly worked his way out of the hole he'd dug for himself. Flynn was crazy but he was also loyal and good in a fight. It helped that no one had ever made her laugh so hard with their wild stories. It didn't take them long to become friends.

It also didn't take Flynn long to become enamored with her, but it never came up unless they both had alcohol in them... which after their dinner, and more than a few drinks...

"I might not be able to read them right now," she garbled, "but you've got letters on your arm that are neither T nor F and I've got... some other letters... and... whatever the fuck this other thing is and none of them are your Fs so what's even the point?"

"The point is life is short and you don't know when they're going to show up... So why not have a little fun? I've got your Fs right here..." Flynn went in for a kiss and missed so badly she didn't even have to dodge.

Taelia laughed as he nearly tripped over himself.

"Damn," he chuckled.

They staggered up to the door of her place. It took her a while but she fished the key from her purse and then stared at it in her hand.

Taelia wasn't so drunk that she didn't know exactly what would happen if she invited him in. Hell, she'd known what was going to happen when she decided to go out with him and get drunk that night.

Taelia couldn't help it, she was lonely.

Most of the time it was easy to distract herself. She liked the life she'd built for herself. She had Cyrus, and her dreams, and her accomplishments, but none of those things stopped the pang she felt every time she looked at her soulmarks. She was two decades old, most of her friends and peers from the academy had met their soulmates already, and some had even started families.

Flynn was a bad influence, too. With nearly three decades of his own soulmate nowhere in sight, the former pirate had long given up saving himself. Unfortunately, he had no problem bragging about it either.

"That's called a key. Unlocks doors," Flynn slurred. "You should use it so I can go home."

Taelia made up her mind and unlocked the door.

"Why don't you come in for coffee? I would hate for you to get arrested again."

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine, but I'm making it. You don't make it strong enough."

She went in and lit some lights. Flynn shrugged out of his coat and threw it at a hook by the door, then looked at it, offended, when it fell to the floor.

She was there in front of him when he turned around.

"Flynn?"

"Yes, Tae?"

"How drunk are you?"

He wiggled his fingers as if testing their movement would be able to tell him. "Barely drunk. Why? ...oh."

She stepped closer to him and put her hands on his chest. His hands went to her hips.

"Tae, are you sure?"

She answered by kissing him. He kissed back with enthusiasm, but after a moment he broke it off to look at her warily. Taelia had never seen a more serious expression on Flynn's face.

"I just... don't want to feel lonely tonight," she whispered and nudged him towards her bedroom.

* * *

In the morning, she woke up slowly. The light was pouring in from her window overlooking the harbor and she blinked. Her head ached, but it wasn't the worst hangover she'd ever woken up with. What was different was the pleasant ache in her core. Then she remembered.

Taelia looked over at the broad back of the naked man in her bed. A wave of dread washed over her.

_Tides, I fucked Flynn! What the hell was I thinking?_

She sat straight up. "Fuck!"

Taelia scrambled out of bed and moved around the room grabbing clothes and putting them on. The noise woke up Flynn.

"Tae?"

She looked at him wide-eyed. "There's something I need to... um... I have to... uh... I just need to go feed Galeheart! Can you lock up behind you?"

"Um... yes?"

"Thanks! I'll... talk to you later!" she yelled over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Flynn blinked and looked around her empty room.

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

King Anduin was storming down the hall away from the throne room with Genn trailing after him. Apparently the old wolf did not want to take the hint that he wished to end their conversation.

"My point is it wouldn't hurt to look--"

"Genn, I said no! Not only is it a waste of resources, but it doesn't make any sense! My soulmate and I are destined to meet, there's no need to go searching for her."

"What if you started wearing your mark openly? Rumor might spread that you have TF and maybe your she'll come looking for you."

Anduin stopped mid-stride and turned around to face Genn. "Absolutely not! Why are you being so insistent about this?"

"The nobles have been saying--"

"The nobles don't get a say in this!" Anduin shouted.

Genn flinched at his raised voice. Anduin took a deep breath and asked calmly, "What have the nobles been saying?"

"Rumors have been circulating about why you keep your mark covered," explained Genn. "There's everything from speculation about you not having one, to your soulmate not being human..."

Genn hesitated.

"What else?" urged Anduin through clenched teeth.

"There are more than a few who wish to see you safely married before the next war breaks out... regardless of soul bonds. They're arguing that you shouldn't wait half your life for your soulmate when you could be married with heirs before that happens."

Genn saw the horrified look on Anduin's face and continued quickly, "I know, I know! It's a ridiculous notion. I couldn't even fathom marrying anyone other than Mia. Anduin, I just want the same happiness for you! And to appease the rumblings among the nobles, all I'm saying is that it might benefit you to show a more deliberate effort towards finding your soulmate."

Anduin closed his eyes and prayed to the Light for patience. He also had a few uncharitable thoughts about his father, cursing the day Varian let Genn hold him as a baby and see his first soulmark. At least the secret of Wrathion was safe.

Anduin opened his eyes. "No Genn. My word on this is final. This is one area of my life I'm not willing to compromise on." Then he turned and walked away.

Genn had enough sense not to follow him again. He just stood there not understanding why Anduin wouldn't just put all the rumors to rest. Keeping his wrist always covered was definitely suspicious, but he wasn't about to break Anduin's trust by trying to reveal TF. Genn decided he would have to wait. The old wolf muttered under his breath, wishing Anduin's mark was TG and not TF. He could kill two birds with one stone if only Anduin and his daughter were a match.

That night, Anduin laid awake in bed looking at his soulmarks feeling resentful and missing them at the same time. Even after four years and everything he'd been through, thinking of Wrathion hadn't gotten any less painful. Anduin couldn't help but wonder where the dragon was now. He rolled over and decided instead to imagine for the millionth time who their other soulmate was.

He prayed he would meet her soon.

* * *

Taelia spent almost the entire day in the air with Galeheart.

Later, after she'd had time to think and wasn't hungover, she landed on the deck of Flynn's ship and knocked on the door of the captain's quarters.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of her mouth as soon as he opened the door.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it happen... or I should have at least warned you," he responded. Flynn let her in and shut the door behind her.

"Warned me?"

"About sleeping with people who aren't your soulmate. It's..." Flynn trailed off struggling to find the right words.

"Don't get me wrong, it was nice, but... I thought it would make me feel better."

"It doesn't. It just helps with the loneliness for a night, maybe two. Then you're back to where you were."

"Why do you still do it?"

He shrugged. "Hooked on the temporary fix I suppose. Also, it would be a shame to let these looks go to waste."

Taelia snorted. "I don't blame you, whatever your reasons."

"I don't recommend making it a habit."

"I just got to a breaking point last night. You know? It's not just the waiting that gets to me, it's knowing that they've already met, and they're out there somewhere... together _without_ me..."

Flynn saw her get teary-eyed, stepped forward, and wrapped her up in a hug.

She sobbed, "...and then I had to go and ruin my relationship with my best friend!"

He pulled back and fixed her with a look. "Tae, you haven't ruined anything. This was my mistake, too. We're going to be fine."

"Are you sure?" she sniffed.

"Of course. You're going to have to try harder to get rid of me."

She stood back and wiped her eyes. "Look at me, I'm sure you must think I'm such a baby. You've been waiting so much longer."

Flynn looked down at his wrist and traced the letters M and S with his finger.

"Honestly, Tae? I don't know how I'm going to explain the choices I've made in my life to my soulmate if I ever meet them."

" _When_ you meet them," she corrected. "They're your soulmate, they will understand."

"That's the hope... Don't worry Tae, I have a feeling you're going to meet your boys sooner rather than later. Well... I say boys, but there's really no telling what that weird mark is. Good luck with that one."

"Thanks," she deadpanned.

"Yeah I never took you for an interspecies freak--"

"Flynn!" she exclaimed, horrified, and punched him in the shoulder.

"OW! What?! I'm just sayin' I can't wait to meet them too!"


	8. Chapter 8

Anduin stepped out of the portal from Stormwind to Boralus and took a deep breath of the salty air. Though both were port cities by the ocean, there was something about Boralus that was different. Something about it felt freer. Stepping out of the portal room, he took a moment to enjoy the view of the harbor from the Tradewinds Market.

Too soon he was pulled from his thoughts by his approaching spymaster accompanied by a man he didn't recognize. For once, he didn't dread Shaw's presence. Since the war had started it seemed like all Shaw delivered was bad news, but today was actually a good day. Anduin had just received word from Jaina inviting him to Proudmore Keep. Her mission to bring Kul Tiras back into the Alliance had been a success, and better yet, it seemed she had reconciled with her family.

"Shaw," he nodded. Anduin turned his attention to the other red-haired man. "Who's this?"

"This is--"

"Captain Flynn Fairwind, at your service your right royal majesty," interrupted the ex-pirate with an exaggerated bow.

Shaw rolled his eyes. Anduin couldn't help but smile.

"It's nice to meet you Captain Fairwind," said Anduin. "You've been helping with the Azerite island expeditions if I remember correctly?"

"That I have! I--"

Shaw cleared his throat to interrupt before Flynn could start in on a story. "Shall we proceed to Proudmore Keep, your majesty? We can brief you on the particulars of the ceremony on the way there."

"Of course. Lead the way, Master Shaw."

On their way, Anduin was told about the different factions of Kul Tiras that had been united by their champions. He was also regaled with a few extraneous stories from the captain. Despite Shaw's constant aggravation, Anduin guessed that there was something between the captain and his spymaster based on the way they looked at each other. It was clear that Captain Fairwind was not just showing off for the king's sake. It was strange to see the typically unbothered spymaster so affected by someone. Anduin chuckled to himself, figuring it would be rude to ask, and just enjoyed their banter. In the midst of war, it was nice to see.

Anduin took in another deep breath of the ocean air and smiled. He had support from the Kul Tirans to help bring the war closer to its end, he was getting to see Jaina again, and he had a happy spymaster. He couldn't imagine how the day could get any better.

* * *

"King Wrynn, there is someone you should meet. Along with your champion, she was instrumental in saving our kingdom and my life," announced Katherine Proudmore.

Pride swelled in Taelia's chest as she stepped forward and took a knee before the king.

"It is an honor to meet you, King Wrynn. I am Taelia. Taelia Fordragon."

It was then that she lifted her head, their eyes met, and time seemed to stop. There was a tingling on her wrist, and warmth in her chest, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. From the way his mouth was hanging open, it seemed he was experiencing the same thing.

The realization hit her like a punch. The High King of Stormwind was one of her soulmates.

"Taelia Fordragon?! As in..."

"Daughter of Bolvar. Fostered under our protection since the third war. You were rather close to him at one time, weren't you, your majesty?" said Katherine, she noticed the two young people had an odd reaction to each other but didn't know why.

Anduin gave a nod, took a halting step forward, and said, "Taelia, please rise. The honor is mine."

She did as she was bid and stood. Her soulmate was only a couple yards away. It might as well have been miles. The High King of Stormwind. There were so many questions swirling in her mind.

Then she registered what Katherine had said, and what came out of her mouth was, "You knew my father?"

Her father was the last thing on Anduin's mind at that moment, but he composed himself and answered, "Yes, Highlord Bolvar was a great man. A true hero to the Alliance, and to me. I remember he used to write you letters. He had a nickname for you--"

"My shining star," she finished. "The letters stopped coming... I have so many questions."

Understatement of her life.

Taelia rubbed her wrist currently covered by a glove. A feeling of longing gripped her chest as she looked at him. Not only was he her soulmate, but maybe he had the answers about what happened to her father. It was all too good to be true.

"Taelia, you must come to Stormwind, there is so much we have to discuss." His face was shining, his blue eyes as bright as the golden armor he wore. All that was missing was a crown.

Then she realized it _was_ too good to be true.

If she was his soulmate then that meant that she was destined to be by his side. In Stormwind. On the throne.

Queen.

She took a few stumbling steps back. Suddenly she was aware of how many eyes were on her. Though they were outside she felt as if invisible walls were closing in on her. That's when her warrior instincts started to kick in.

Fight or flight. Fight or flight.

Usually, the answer was fight, but considering her current situation she did the obvious.

She mumbled, "I'm sorry I... I just need to..."

Then she turned and ran.

"Wait!"

She barely heard the sounds of confusion behind her. The streets were a blur. She whistled for Galeheart and hopped on, taking to the skies.

The wind whipped past her face. Up here where the salty air seemed to invade her lungs she could finally breathe. After some circles, she steered Galeheart towards their favorite perch on the wall overlooking the harbor.

Looking out onto the harbor she could barely see the water for all the ships. There were so many blue and gold sails scattered among the Proudmore green. Suddenly it occurred to her that all of it was at his command. She groaned and laid down flat on the stonework, opting to look at the sky instead.

She took her glove off to look at her soulmarks.

ALW. Anduin Llane Wrynn, of course! Another wave of anxiety washed over her as she wondered how in the world the universe thought this was a good idea. She took a deep breath and tried to get a grip on herself.

As she rubbed at her marks, it reminded her of their other soulmate which baffled her even more. The two had met, but Taelia was pretty sure she would have heard the gossip if the High King of the Alliance had been courting someone for the last four years. It occurred to Taelia that the nobles of the Eastern Kingdoms were known to be less forgiving of royals who didn't produce blood heirs. Perhaps that was why their other soulmate had remained a secret?

 _Heirs!_ she thought, _a king is sure to want children as soon as possible!_

Again, her heart rate picked up and she felt like she couldn't get enough air.

Galeheart, sensing her mom's distress, scooched over next to where Taelia lay and covered her with a wing.

Taelia, while touched by her bird's protective nesting instinct, was not prepared to be nearly sat on and buried in feathers. She spluttered and struggled to get out from under the wing.

"Gale! You're supposed to be _my_ baby, not the other way around!" She laughed, got to her feet, and hugged her gryphon's neck. Galeheart made soft clucking noises at her.

"I thought I might find you up here."

Taelia spun around to see Flynn's familiar smirk.

"You know the entire city is looking for you?"

She leaned against Galeheart and tried not to look too guilty.

"Relax Tae, I'm not here to drag you back, I just wanted to make sure you're all right." Flynn sat down on the edge of the parapet and swung his legs over the side. With a sigh, Taelia joined him.

"I'm fine, I just couldn't stay there with all those people looking at me. I didn't know what else to do."

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Everyone was just confused, they don't know they witnessed the king meet his soulmate."

"How did you--"

"His majesty told the new Lord Admiral, and Mathias overheard it, and then he told me... Actually, when the king requested you be found, Mathias asked if I might know where you'd be."

She scoffed and looked around, "He's a spy. You know that means he followed you right?"

Flynn shook his head. "I asked him not to."

Taelia raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Like that would stop him?"

"You and I haven't had an opportunity to talk in a while have we?" said Flynn.

"No. We've been a little busy uniting Kul Tiras."

Flynn pulled up his sleeve. "Remember MS?"

Taelia's eyes widened. "Mathias Shaw! You found MS! Oh, Flynn, I'm so happy for you!" She threw her arms around her friend.

He hugged her back and laughed, "Easy there. I didn't come up here to brag. You just met your soulmate! Why are you up here hiding and not all over that beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed--"

"Flynn!"

"C'mon you've got to admit he's easy on the eyes. Tell me he's not pretty."

Taelia looked away. "Yes. He's gorgeous. He's also the High King of the Alliance! You see all those ships out there? He can command all of them. He runs an entire kingdom, a faction! He probably wants a queen! And heirs! How can I possibly... Flynn, I don't--"

"Tae, my goodness, no wonder you ran." Flynn pulled a flask from his belt. "Here..."

She leaned away. "I am _not_ drinking that."

"Suit yourself," he said, then took a swig.

Taelia rolled her eyes. "I came up here because I wasn't ready for all those important people to start asking me questions. I just needed to think."

"You got scared."

Taelia guffawed.

"I mean, I don't blame you, but Tae I think this is a good thing."

Taelia gave him side-eye. "How so?"

"Just think about it! You've always felt abandoned here on Kul Tiras, now one of your soulmates is here and willing to turn this town upside down for you. Tae, you're dying for adventure. Who better to be with than the one person who's always in the center of everything? Not to mention it sounds like he knows some things about your father?" Flynn shook his head. "I've seen a lot of strange pairings in my day, but Tae, I think you've got a good one."

Taelia stared down at the water. Flynn had some good points.

"I think I'm justified in worrying about being a good match for a king. I can't even begin to imagine what that's going to be like."

"Pfft, you just united Kul Tiras! Plus you're a great squad leader, you'll be a great queen."

Taelia wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure the two roles are equivalent."

"Just remember this ol' pirate when you're rich and famous."

She snorted and elbowed him. "But Flynn, aren't you and your spymaster going to go take on the world together?"

The smile on Flynn's face was so genuine it tugged at her heartstrings.

"I don't care what happens, Tae. I'll follow wherever he goes."

Damn, she wanted that too.

"I suppose I should go back and face the music." She stood up, took a deep breath, and looked out to the ocean. "My entire life is about to change isn't it?"

"But you'll have your soulmate by your side to face it all."

"I suppose you and your man will be there too. You think we'll fit in in Stormwind?"

Flynn stood up and put his hand on his hips. "That city won't know what hit it."


	9. Chapter 9

There was a flurry of activity on the deck of _Wind's Redemption_ so Taelia circled there first.

Sure enough, she spotted the flash of golden hair and armor that belonged to him.

Soldiers moved aside for Galeheart as she landed and slid off with Flynn. Then she walked over to the table behind which stood Shaw, Greymane, King Wrynn, and the newly dubbed Lord Admiral Proudmore.

All eyes were on Taelia as she approached.

She saluted, stood at parade rest, cleared her throat, and addressed the group. "I apologize for my breach in protocol at the ceremony, I got overwhelmed. I'm here now. I believe his majesty has summoned me?"

She gave a small smile at the hope and relief on the king's face, though no one moved or said anything in response to her question. Everyone looked stunned as if she had fallen from the sky, which, with Galeheart, she supposed she kind of had.

Taelia threw a desperate look to Flynn who moved to stand beside Shaw. Flynn elbowed his soulmate who snapped to attention.

"Yes, um, my lady, let me show you and his majesty to the captain's quarters."

Before she knew it she was standing in a room alone with the king.

There was silence as they stared at each other.

"I'm sorry I ran," she blurted.

"It's completely understandable," he said softly.

There was another tense pause.

"You can call me Anduin."

"Anduin," she repeated, turning the name over in her mouth. "Anduin Llane Wrynn."

He smiled. "Yes, if you don't mind, can I see...?" He pointed at her wrist and began taking off his own gauntlet.

She took off her glove and revealed the initials, holding her arm up along with his.

Anduin took in a sharp breath when he saw her marks. "I just wanted to see if..."

He nearly jumped out of his skin as she took his arm and ran her fingers over his marks. The gauntlet fell to the floor with a loud clang.

"Sorry!" They said at the same time and stepped back from each other in surprise.

After another moment of looking at each other red-faced, Taelia picked up the gauntlet and set it aside.

"You wanted to see our other soulmark," she said.

"Yes... I mean I saw your mark on him, but..." he trailed off.

"You wanted to see for yourself. I understand." Taelia nodded. "You know I felt it when the two of you met?"

Anduin's eyebrows shot up. "You did?"

"Yes," she gave him a wry smile. "I bet he felt our meeting just now."

By the look on his face, Taelia instantly knew she'd said something wrong.

"Is something the matter?"

"No," he insisted. "No, everything is fine."

"Who is he?"

Anduin looked at his wrist, and she saw his jaw clench before he answered, "His name is Wrathion."

"Wrathion... His mark, I've never been able to figure out what kind of symbol this is. Is he--?"

Anduin reluctantly met her eyes. "He's a dragon. The mark is draconic."

Taelia blinked.

"A dragon."

"Yes."

"Our other soulmate is a dragon."

Anduin shifted from one foot to the other. "Yes."

"Like giant, scaley, flies, and breaths fire kind of dragon?"

Anduin scoffed, "Not giant. He was about the size of a mastiff the last time I saw him, but yes, all of that."

"H-how?!" she stuttered.

She was looking at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"I get the feeling you don't know a lot about dragons."

Taelia continued staring at him wide-eyed.

"They can change into humanoid forms. They aren't big and scaley all the time. Dragons can choose to look like people."

"Oh."

That only comforted her a little.

"I think I would have heard if a dragon were courting the leader of the Alliance... so where is he now?" asked Taelia.

Anduin's hands balled into fists. "I don't know. It's been almost five years since I've seen him."

That answer sent her reeling. All this time... she had been jealous for nothing.

"What happened?"

Anduin's tired eyes met hers, "It's a long story and I'm guessing we don't have a lot of time right now... can we talk about it later? I'd rather learn more about you."

Taelia searched his face and could see how much he didn't want to talk about it. She shrugged, "Fair enough. What do you want to know? I'm an open book."

Over the next hour, they simply talked. He asked her about her life and she answered. She told him about her position as a squad leader and a little bit about how she'd helped unite Kul Tiras. She talked about growing up in Kul Tiras, being a ward of the Proudmores, and being raised by Cyrus. After a while, she shifted the conversation to her father.

"There's so much I don't know. The last letter I got from him was shortly after he arrived in Northrend to fight the Lich King. I don't even know how he died. I don't have any of his things, all I have of him are his letters."

"I may not be able to answer all your questions, but at least I can fix that. We still have a trunk of his belongings stored in Stormwind Keep. I'd be happy to give them to you--," Anduin said before being interrupted by a knock on the cabin door.

Anduin sighed, "Come in."

One of his Lion's Guard opened the door. "Your majesty, there's a Horde airship with a squadron attacking Greystone Keep the other side of Tirigard Sound. We'd like to get you back to Stormwind as soon as possible."

"There's an attack happening?!" Taelia sprang to her feet and rushed past the man in the door.

On deck, Galeheart was waiting, and she hopped into the saddle.

"Taelia, wait!" cried Anduin. "You can't just rush into battle alone."

"Did you miss the part of our conversation where I told you my job? My squad is probably already there! I need to go regardless, it's my duty to help!"

"But Taelia--"

"If you're worried then come with me!"

"I--" Anduin opened his mouth to protest, but then his expression hardened. "Fine."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the saddle behind her.

"Just take off quickly before anyone can stop us."

"Hold on tight!" she said before spurring Galeheart into the air. He quickly placed his hands around her waist. There was an outcry from the people on deck below them.

Except from Flynn. She heard him whoop.

She could see the Horde airship in the sky on the other side of the bay and heard the boom of cannons echo across the water. The enemy troops were pushing up the hill to Greystone Keep. She steered towards the closest group of Kul Tirans and champions defending.

Taelia shouted over her shoulder. "Have you been in a skirmish before? You're a priest right? You know how to heal in battle?"

"Healing is what I do best, but I've only been in one real battle. They made me carry Shalamayne so I didn't do much healing... Actually, that's not true, I did drop the sword once to do some."

"I don't see my squad anywhere. We'll just hang off to the side and pick off stragglers. Just keep a shield up and focus your healing on me. If too many enemies get on you just run towards me. Be aware of your surroundings and don't stand near explosives. Ready?"

They found a spot on the steep slope in front of Greystone Keep's wall. They dropped off of Galeheart who flew up and away like she'd been trained. The gryphon would stay safe and out of the way, but close enough to hear when she was whistled for.

Taelia took her hammer off her back and looked at Anduin, patting one of his pauldrons with a clang clang. "Remember, shield yourself and stay safe okay?"

She picked out a small group of orcs and with a shout, charged into the front line of grunts, hammer swinging. She smiled as she felt the radiant energy of a shield shimmer up between her and her enemies, giving her a dangerous kind of confidence. She slammed her hammer into one, knocking him into another, sending them both tumbling down the slope.

The orc behind them looked past Taelia as if she were transparent, his beady eyes fixated on Anduin. The orc's expression was one of recognition.

The orc let out a piercing howl and rammed into Taelia, knocking her to the ground. He stepped over her and charged at Anduin. The shield around the king sparked at the orc's sword strike.

As another orc attempted to step over her, Taelia kicked him, knocking his feet out from under him, sending him rolling down the hill. She got to her feet and sprinted towards her soulmate. With another strike from the orc's sword, Anduin's shield sputtered and she saw his eyes widen right before it dissipated in a thousand sparkles.

"HEY!" she shouted, causing the orc to turn his head before she slammed her hammer into his face. The sword fell out of his hands as he crumpled to the ground.

Taelia didn't waste any time turning back to the rest of the stunned grunts and interposing herself between them and Anduin. Again she felt his shield and attacked with renewed vigor. It wasn't long before they were all laying at her feet.

She turned to Anduin. "Are you all right?"

"Not even a scratch," he responded.

"Good," she said. Her eyes fell on a set of explosives it looked like the orcs had been in the process of setting against the wall. "Let's scout along the wall and see if we can find any more wannabe demolitionists. I'll stay closer this time. You're more recognizable than I thought."

Together they crept along the wall and took out a few more teams with bombs. At one point she was striking down a warlock when she noticed a glint among the orc's possessions. Usually she wasn't one for looting, but there was something about this ring that caught her eye. Without a second thought, she quickly picked it up, stashed it in her bag, and followed after Anduin.

Shortly thereafter, they looked up at the sound of a huge explosion and watched the Horde airship plunge into the sea below.

Taelia cheered, "Yeah! That'll send them running now!"

"Are attacks like these common?"

"Yes, they never get very far though. I guess it keeps the city on our toes."

Taelia took off her glove, put two fingers in her mouth, and blew an ear-splitting whistle.

"Now let's get you back before I start being suspected for regicide."

Anduin leaned towards her. "It seems we make a good team."

She smiled at him. "Warriors and healers always do. We keep each other alive."

There was a flash of sad wistfulness on his face. "That's true."

Galeheart landed next to Taelia and cawed.

"Hello, my girl." Taelia spun towards Anduin. "Hey! The two of you haven't been properly introduced! Your majesty, this is my baby, Galeheart."

The gryphon preened and then raised her head proudly knowing that her human was talking about her.

Anduin laughed. "It's nice to meet you Galeheart."

Taelia stroked the soft feathers on her neck. "I raised her from an egg. I'm a proud mama, Gale's the fastest gryphon on my squad."

"She's beautiful," he said, his gaze lingering a bit too long on Taelia.

She smirked at him. His face flushed.

Taelia chuckled as she climbed into the saddle. "Come on," she said and offered him her hand.

He paused before taking it, glancing at her wrist. "Taelia, do you think you could keep your marks covered? Few know that I have two soulmates, and even fewer know about Wrathion. I would like to keep it that way."

Taelia fidgeted with the reins. "I will cover them if you tell me what happened with you two."

Anduin nodded and climbed aboard. "I will. Tomorrow. I'll come see you and we can talk." He squeezed her sides as they took off.

"I don't know how much longer you'll be able to keep the secret Anduin. I've never kept my marks hidden before. In fact, I've shown them to a lot of people trying to figure out what his mark was. Pretty much every traveler who's ever walked into Snug Harbor Inn has seen them, not to mention all the people who know me."

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then, if you please..."

She took the glove from her belt and pulled it back on.

"Thank you."

As they flew, she went up to give them the best view of the city. She smiled to herself when she heard him gasp at the sight. If he noticed she took more time to get back to the ship he didn't say anything.

* * *

Shortly before they landed on the deck of _Wind's Redemption_ , he suggested they say goodbye in air and she should drop him off as quickly as possible to avoid getting bombarded. She agreed upon the promise of seeing him for afternoon tea the next day.

He jumped out of Galeheart's saddle and watched Taelia until she was out of eyesight.

He didn't have to wait long before the scolding began.

"Anduin Wrynn you should know better than to run off without--," started Genn before being interrupted by Jaina.

"Genn give him a break. They just met! They deserve a little time to--"

"It's not the time together I'm protesting, it's the running off to fight Horde battalions by themselves that I have a problem with!"

The argument between his two parental figures went on, but Anduin barely heard any of it. He continued to look off in the direction she had flown, and calculated the number of hours it would be before he'd see her again. Anduin could hardly believe it. His soulmate. Watching her fight, and having the opportunity to stand by her side had been amazing. She was beautiful and strong and...

Suddenly he realized he had been staring off into space with a smile on his face and everyone on deck was looking at him.

"What?" he asked, refocusing on Genn in front of him.

"I said where did she go? We should send some sort of protection, or better yet, take her back to Stormwind where she'll be safe."

"No," Anduin replied, shaking his head. "No, I don't think that's necessary yet. Let her keep her freedom for a little while longer."

"Anduin--"

"Genn, she lives above that building right there," he said, pointing to the harbormaster's office. "The entire 7th legion is literally on her doorstep. She'll be fine. Not to mention she can definitely handle herself."

He was too distracted to catch the looks exchanged among the leaders on deck. If he'd been paying attention he might have even overheard Flynn whisper to Shaw, "Wow, he's got it bad already!"

* * *

Taelia didn't go home until after dark, opting to fly with Galeheart the rest of the day, and eat dinner out by herself. She had a lot to think about.

When she shut and locked the door behind her she heard Cyrus's voice from the sitting room. "Taelia?"

"Hi, Cyrus! I'm home," she responded. She began taking off some of her heavier gear to leave by the door.

"Where have you been? All these soldiers came by looking for you. Someone told me you ran out of the new Lord Admiral's ceremony after meeting the king?"

"I have a lot to tell you," she said with a sigh. "Do you mind if I change first? I'll just be a minute."

Cyrus gave an affirmative grunt. "I'll make some tea."

She came down after washing up and putting on comfortable clothing. Cyrus handed her a steaming cup which she gladly took and then curled up into her favorite spot by the fire.

"I met the king of Stormwind today, Cyrus. He's one of my soulmates."

The knight choked on his sip of tea. Taelia looked at him with concern as he coughed. He waved his hand as if to say he was fine, but was too busy coughing to confirm it verbally.

Finally, he recovered his breath. "Tides, girl! A little warning next time!"

"Sorry," she mumbled into the cup.

"King Anduin Wrynn is your soulmate... I'm surprised you're not in Stormwind right now! Wait... tell me you didn't meet him and run."

Taelia looked away bashfully. "I... ran at first. Then Flynn found me and convinced me to come back. The king and I had a moment to talk, but we were interrupted by an attack on Greystone."

"I heard about that."

"I might have... absconded with him, and we helped fight them off."

Cyrus chuckled, "Can he fight?"

"He heals. He's a discipline priest. Doesn't have a lot of field experience, but I can trust him to keep me alive. I haven't seen him with a sword yet, but he wears all that plate, he must know something about fighting."

"Why a priest would wear plate I'll never know...," Cyrus shook his head. "I always imagined you with another warrior, but having a healer by your side is good too."

"I hope so," Taelia said. "After that, we made plans to see each other tomorrow. He's coming by for afternoon tea."

"The high king is visiting my house for tea. Will wonders never cease?"

Taelia looked at her wrist. "There's so much I want to ask him, and so much we need to discuss. I doubt we'll be able to cover it all in one tea..."

"I suggest you go into work tomorrow and take that vacation time you've been talking about. And you should start thinking about a replacement leader for your squad."

Taelia looked up. "So soon?"

"Yes, I have a feeling you don't have long before you're asked to go to Stormwind indefinitely. You need to be prepared."

"I should probably talk to him first before I decide to uproot my life," she huffed. "And I won't go anywhere if they just want to lock me up in Stormwind Keep! I'm not some noble lady content with sitting around. I still want to travel, I want adventure! I'm not going to give that up!"

"Nor should you. But Taelia, you _are_ a noble lady. Your father was a Lord which makes you Lady Fordragon. When Daelin Proudmore gave you to me I didn't think knowing how to be a lady would be important. Tides, how was I supposed to know you might end up a queen one day?"

"You can't blame yourself, Cyrus." Taelia almost wanted to laugh at how distressed he seemed at the thought of not having prepared her for something properly. "Besides, how hard could being noble be?"

Cyrus shook his head. "I don't know. I avoided court life for a reason. The constant vying for power and the king's favor was not something I was interested in."

"Well I don't want power, and as his soulmate, I don't think it'll be too hard to gain his favor..."

"Ah, but because of that, suddenly your favor matters as well."

Taelia groaned. "Maybe I'll just... not be queen."

"His heart and his life belong to his kingdom, my girl. If you want to be with him, you're going to have to be a part of it, too."

Taelia stared at the fire and took a few sips of tea.

"Hey, Cyrus?"

"Hm?"

"What do you know about dragons?" she asked.

"Hrmph, dangerous creatures. Especially for ships. Why?"

As a veteran of the Second War under Daelin Proudmore's command, Taelia knew that Cyrus had been there by the former Lord Admiral's side when Derek Proudmore's ship was burned by orcs riding enslaved red dragons. Struggling to recall her history lessons, she believed there was an artifact that the orcs had used to control the dragons. She remembered that it had somehow been the fault of Deathwing, a name that every person affected by the Cataclysm knew. Pretty much everyone knew about the heroes who defeated Deathwing as well, and that they did it with the help of the Dragon Aspects and the orc Thrall. However, Taelia didn't know much about dragons beyond that. Most of the stories told about them were unbelievable tales she'd heard from boisterous adventurers.

Taelia looked at her wrist. "Anduin told me who our other mark belongs to."

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "That's right, I'd forgotten you said you'd thought they'd met before. What does that have to do with...," then the realization dawned on him. "A dragon? Really?"

Taelia nodded. "Anduin said they can choose to look like people."

Cyrus frowned. "They can. Though the last time I heard of a dragon doing that, it was for the purposes of manipulating the former king of Stormwind."

"What?" Taelia sat up a little straighter.

"Yes, Lady Katrana Prestor. You might recognize the name from your father's letters. She was a black dragon disguised as a noble who caused the disappearance of the late King Varian. It was why your father became Regent Lord. She used her sorcery to control your father during some of that time as well."

"How do you know all this? Why wasn't I told?"

"Your father wrote to me. He told me not to tell you. You were little at the time."

Taelia sighed. She thought about Anduin being about the same age, yet having to be king while his father was missing.

"What dragonflight is your soulmate from?" asked Cyrus.

"Oh... I didn't even think to ask. I was too startled by the 'he's a dragon' part. All Anduin told me was his name is Wrathion. Something happened between them shortly after they met and he hasn't seen him since. Also, Anduin wants me to keep it a secret that we have a second soulmate."

Cyrus shook his head. "Everyone knows you have two."

"That's what I told him."

"I don't blame him for trying to hide it. It's going to cause you trouble in court if the nobles find out."

"Why?"

"Think about it Taelia. Nobles like knowing the children a queen has are the rightful heirs to the throne."

"Wha-- oh!" Taelia turned bright red as soon as she realized what he was implying. "B-but-- dragon! My other soulmate is a _dragon_. Who said we... There's no way... That can't even be possible!"

"Do you think the schemers in court will care?"

Taelia looked away.

"It sounds like you and the king have much to discuss tomorrow."

Taelia clutched her mug tighter. They both spent a moment watching the flickering flames.

"Taelia... I've always known you'd leave to go see the world one day, but I hope you know you always have a place here. I don't care who your soulmates are, if you ever need to come home you can."

Such heartfelt words from the gruff old knight brought tears to her eyes. She set her mug down and got up to hug him.

"Thank you, Cyrus."

He wrapped her up in a bear hug and patted her back. "None of that now. You should probably go get some sleep, you've had a long day."

"Okay."

They said goodnight and she went to her room feeling like a little girl again, safe and like the world couldn't get to her in her little room with the knight to guard her. As much as she yearned to leave Boralus, it was good to know she had somewhere to call home.

She got ready for bed and reflected on the day, trying to decipher her feelings about it all. Despite her fears about what might be expected of her in the future, she was still happy to have found one of her soulmates. Thinking of the points Flynn had made earlier, being around the king might give her answers about her father, and at the very least would give her the opportunity to explore Stormwind. The capital city of the Alliance would make an excellent starting point for exploring the rest of the Eastern Kingdoms after the war was over.

As her thoughts wandered, she realized she used to imagine exploring the world with her soulmates by her side. Now that she had a face to put in her fantasies, she was imagining seeing all of those places with Anduin.

She chided herself. It wouldn't happen the way she wanted of course. Going anywhere with a king would have to mean a retinue and official notice wherever they went. She doubted they'd find much adventure traveling that way.

Her thoughts wandered to the king himself with his tired blue eyes and his kind smile. She thanked the Tidemother for being blessed with a pretty soulmate. She couldn't help but wonder what he looked like under all that armor. Taelia giggled to herself thinking of the way he'd reacted when she touched his arm, wondering how reactive he'd be to more than just a brush of her fingers.

 _Have to get to know him first,_ Taelia told herself as she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anduin describing what he did at the Battle of Lordaeron as "some healing" is very amusing to me.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

The next day when Anduin stepped through the portal from Stormwind to Boralus, he had butterflies in his stomach. He'd spent every moment of that day wishing he could be here, but now that he was, he found himself nervous.

He loved it. For once he felt like a normal teenager. For a moment he could pretend he was just someone excited to see the girl they fancied.

The moment ended abruptly when he entered the harbormaster's office and heard several voices he recognized as he went down the stairs. He entered a room with a big map of Kul Tiras on the wall to find not only Taelia and the man he assumed was Cyrus Crestfall, but also Genn, Jaina, Shaw, and Captain Fairwind.

"Oh good," he said hollowly, "Everyone's here..."

It seemed his entrance had interrupted a heated conversation between Genn, Shaw, and Sir Crestfall while Taelia had her hand on her face in a corner near Jaina and the captain.

Genn was the first to start speaking again. "Anduin! Good. Talk some sense into your spymaster would you? Of course, the _rogue_ is insisting on continuing to keep this a secret. As I was saying before, the sooner people know, the sooner she can begin training for her role as--"

"And I'm saying if you want to have any modicum of security, this needs to be kept under wraps at least until the war is over," interrupted Shaw. "We target Blightcaller for more reasons than his leadership position you know. When she finds out, Sylvanas will not hesitate to do the same."

"All the more reason to have her move into the Keep as soon as possible!" returned Genn.

Cyrus interjected, "With all due respect, gentlemen, Taelia has talents that would be wasted shut up in Stormwind Keep. If it's possible to find her a position of some sort where she can--"

"Yes! Kul Tiran Ambassador," chimed Jaina. "It's not exactly a warrior's role, but as the person who helped unite Kul Tiras and has already worked closely with the Alliance, no one would question her in it."

"That's not a bad plan," said Genn, "but instead of training for the job of ambassador she could instead just start learning how to be queen--"

"Stop!" exclaimed Taelia from the corner. "You all have talked enough. I'm not doing anything until Anduin and I have talked things over ourselves!"

Taelia pushed off the wall she was leaning against and marched over to where Anduin was standing at the entrance.

"I invited his majesty here for tea and I intend on following through with that plan! Now we're going to go upstairs so we can have that tea and talk. If anyone interrupts us it better be because Sylvanas herself has come to blight Boralus. Come on Anduin."

With that, she turned him around and herded him back up the stairs, through another door to more stairs, and into a small apartment.

Taelia shut the door behind them with a huff and locked it.

"There." She turned and walked into the kitchen. "Do you like Honeymint?"

Anduin was stunned. "...yes," he answered finally and followed her.

He looked around the lived-in but tidy apartment. It was easy to imagine Taelia growing up here. She moved about the kitchen with familiarity, starting the kettle boiling and getting out an anchor-themed tea set as well as some cookies. Anduin admired how she seemed so at ease while he felt so out of his depth. He took a seat in one of the two chairs by the small table.

He cleared his throat. "You handled that very concisely..."

Taelia shrugged. "They've been talking in circles for over an hour. I gave up trying to talk sense to them a little while ago. Cyrus has my back anyway. I decided I wouldn't interrupt until they used the 'q' word again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know they were here. I didn't send them."

"I know," Taelia laughed. "The Lord Admir-- I mean, Jaina-- followed me home after I tried to take vacation time this morning. We found King Greymane and Shaw already talking to Cyrus. There's no telling how long they've been arguing. They're probably still arguing as we speak."

"Let me guess, Genn is ready to announce to the world that you're the future queen and is already planning the wedding. And Shaw wants to take you into SI:7 protective custody and hide you in a blight bunker until the war is over."

"Close. Luckily I think Flynn has been able to talk Shaw down. He only wants me to move to Stormwind and take agents with me wherever I go. However, he doesn't want me living at Stormwind Keep or spending too much time with you because he thinks people will guess that we're soulmates. He's worried what the Horde might do if it gets out."

Anduin frowned at that.

She continued, "As for King Greymane, not only has he already planned the wedding, but I'm pretty sure he's picked the names for our children too."

Anduin groaned. "Taelia, I am so sorry. What has he said to you?"

Taelia laughed at the mortified look on his face. "It's all right. He hasn't said anything specific to me yet. It was just the way he talked about preparing the keep for _new arrivals_. Plural."

"I'm surprised he was that subtle."

The kettle whistled, and Taelia went to get it. She took it off the stove and poured the water into the teapot, setting the tea to steep. Then she went and pulled out a jar of honey and a couple of spoons.

"Let's get a few things out of the way," she said while wielding a spoon in front of his face. "My dream has always been to see the world, and after this war is over I still intend on doing just that. I'm not ready to get married and I'm definitely not ready to have children yet."

He reached up and cautiously took the spoon pointed at his nose.

"Taelia, I feel the same way. I'm not ready for any of those things yet either. I'm also not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. And if anyone starts pressuring you please come tell me and I will deal with it."

She sighed with relief. "Okay. Good."

"However... I don't like the sound of Shaw's plan either. If you're willing to spend some time in Stormwind, I'd like to have you stay at the keep. At least for a little while. I'd like to get to know you better."

"I'd... like that too," she said with a small smile. "I've always wanted to see Stormwind. I didn't mind the idea of Jaina's suggestion, being a Kul Tiran ambassador. I'd like to be useful. She was telling me that Lady Katherine suggested a promotion anyway for everything I've done. Lady Katherine doesn't know about us yet either, so I know the offer is genuine."

Taelia sat in the other chair, poured the tea, and handed him a cup. Anduin went for the jar of honey and added another spoonful to his. He looked up when he felt her eyes tracking his movements.

"Sorry, too much?" he asked.

"No, no, take as much as you like. It's easy to come by this close to Mildenhall Meadery. I just don't know how you stand it so sweet."

"I like it sweet." He took a sip. "It's good, thank you."

She took a sip of her own. "So it sounds like we have the start of a plan. I'll take the ambassador position Jaina offers and stay at the keep and help with the war effort however I can. After the war--"

"Why don't we wait to plan that until it happens? I have no idea when the war will end, and honestly, there's no telling what might happen to me before then."

"Very well." Taelia nodded.

"I'm sorry. I know this probably isn't what you imagined when you thought about finding a soulmate. I realize being my soulmate is more like a responsibility and a risk that you didn't ask for. I'm afraid I can't give you a normal courtship, or a normal anything really--"

"Anduin, you apologize too much," she interrupted. "I've always dreamed of adventure. I never imagined this exactly, but that doesn't mean I don't want it."

Underneath the table, as she spoke, she casually brushed her foot against his calf. He jerked, causing tea to slosh from his cup onto the front of his coat and sash.

"Sorry!" she laughed and stood to fetch him a clean dish towel.

He took it and dabbed at his front, blushing to his ears. "My fault," he mumbled.

"You'll have to forgive me. It's probably some sort of crime to touch the king's person, isn't it?" she chuckled.

"It doesn't happen a lot."

"I can stop."

"Please don't," he whispered.

Taelia took his hand and squeezed it. "Okay."

She picked up the used dish towel and took it to the sink. Returning to the table she sat down and looked at him expectantly.

"Now," she said, "the dragon. Wrathion. Tell me what happened with our elusive other soulmate."

Anduin's heart clenched in his chest. He was hoping it would take longer for the topic to come up, but he knew it needed to be discussed, she needed to hear.

He took a deep breath. "I think it might be easier starting with when I first got shipwrecked in Pandaria..."

As a connoisseur of stories, Taelia listened with rapt attention as he told her all about his adventure in Pandaria. She was practically vibrating with excitement at all the little details, at least, until he got to the part about facing Garrosh and being crushed by the Divine Bell.

"He tried to kill you when you were only fifteen?" she asked.

"I was in his way," he shrugged. "People have tried to kill me when I was younger than that. People are trying to kill me now. I'm afraid that as my soulmate, that will paint a target on your back, as well."

"I'm not defenseless."

He nodded. "I know. That's good."

"So after you were healed by Velen..." she prompted.

"After I was healed by Velen, someone had the bright idea of sending me to recover at a place called the Tavern in the Mists. That's where I met Wrathion. He was running his Blacktalon organization from there."

"Blacktalon?"

"Blacktalons are what his followers call themselves. Most of them are spies and rogues that he hires. Some of them have pledged loyalty to him and his cause."

"And what cause is that?"

"How familiar are you with the five Dragon Aspects and what they represent?"

Taelia's brow furrowed, trying to remember her lessons from school. "Well, I know there's one for each dragonflight. Red, green, blue, bronze, and black. I know Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder, is red. Deathwing, the Earth-warder, was black before he got corrupted and caused the Cataclysm... I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the names of the other three, but I know blue is magic, bronze is time, and green is dreaming... What flight is Wrathion from?"

Anduin took a deep breath. "He's a black dragon."

Taelia was quiet.

Anduin continued, "Before Deathwing and his flight were corrupted, they were charged with protecting the earth. Wrathion has taken it upon himself to uphold that charge."

"That's... good... but I thought that all the black dragons were corrupted?"

"Wrathion was the result of experiments performed by the red dragonflight. He hatched uncorrupted."

Taelia set down her teacup with a clink. "Wait a second, I just remembered! I got his mark when I was fourteen! If we got his mark when he hatched, doesn't that make him only six now?" asked Taelia with alarm.

"Dragons develop differently than us. He was only two when I met him, but in his human form he looked and acted about my age."

"That's... strange."

"I know," Anduin admitted. "but if there's one thing you ought to know about dragons, it's that they can't be judged by human standards. If you ever meet him you'll understand."

Taelia rubbed at her wrist. "When I meet him, you mean."

Anduin made a face.

"Sorry, continue with your story," she encouraged. "You met him in the tavern..."

Dredging up the memories of getting to know Wrathion was like ripping off a scab. It hurt, but with Taelia as his audience, there was also satisfaction in the telling. Then he came to the part at Garrosh's trial.

"...I begged him to stay, but he wouldn't... I even told him I loved him... He still knocked me out and left me there unconscious on the floor."

"Oh, Anduin..."

"After that, Garrosh and the bronze dragon, Kairozdormu, used a device to connect our timestream with that of a different one. I'm not exactly sure what Wrathion and Kairozdormu were planning, but I assume it fell apart after Garrosh killed Kairozdormu. A lot of things happened after that, but it was from that timestream that came the other Gul'dan, the orc who opened the portal for the Burning Legion on Broken Shore."

Taelia gasped. Everyone knew about the Battle of Broken Shore. She remembered well when Cyrus told her about the loss of King Varian Wrynn. As she looked at Anduin, she was struck by the realization that he had lost so much more than a king that day.

"Wrathion's choice... helped lead to the invasion... and the death of your father," she whispered.

Anduin nodded.

"So... you've lost a soulmate, and your father, and you've had to take the throne, and fight the Burning Legion, and now you're leading the Alliance through this war? All in the last four years? And you're not even twenty yet?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

She stood up, took his hand, pulled him up out of his chair, and hugged him.

"Anduin, I'm so sorry."

He was so surprised at being held by her that it took him a moment to react properly. Putting his arms around her, he realized he couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged by anyone. He held her tighter and buried his face in her hair, trying to commit to memory her fresh ocean breeze scent. The stress he'd been carrying for the past few months seemed to melt from his shoulders as he relaxed and just let himself be held and comforted.

After a while, she pulled back and he reluctantly let her go. Suddenly he was aware there were tears in his eyes.

"Don't cry," she said. "You're going to make me start crying, and you don't want that. I'm an ugly crier."

Anduin gave her a watery smile. "I'm sure that's not true."

She took a deep breath a stood back. She went to the table and gathered the empty teacups, and began cleaning up.

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

"No, sit, relax. Tell me how many people know about all this? About what happened with Wrathion?"

"Only you, me, Jaina, and Kalecgos."

"Who's Kalecgos?"

"He's... a blue dragon. He and my aunt were... together for some time. Both of them are unbonded. I'm not sure what they are to each other now though."

Taelia shook her head in amazement and mumbled to herself, "The Lord Admiral and a blue dragon..."

"Shaw _might_ know about Wrathion, but he'd never confirm it."

"Shaw probably knows I have two soulmarks by now..."

"Why do you say that?"

"My best friend is his soulmate. Many things can be said of Flynn Fairwind, close-lipped is not one of them."

Anduin's face lit up. "They're soulmates?! I had a suspicion there was something between them! Though... they are an odd couple..."

Taelia laughed. "Flynn might drive him crazy, but he's loyal. I think your spymaster will appreciate that."

"I hope they can be happy. Shaw deserves it. You said Captain Fairwind is your best friend?"

Taelia turned to the sink and began washing the tea set. "Oh... yes. He is."

"I'll have to get to know him better then! He seems like an interesting person."

Taelia snorted, "That's one word for him."

Anduin saw her putting aside the wet dishes. He went and picked up the towel beside the sink, and dried them.

"So how much longer do you think I can keep you hidden up here?" she asked.

"I should return soon. I still have more war meetings to attend today."

"I suppose if I'm going to be a Kul Tiran Ambassador, I have a lot of things to learn. I'd better get started." Taelia rinsed the last cup and handed it to him.

"Taelia, are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you wouldn't rather accept another position with the admiralty and stay here in Boralus? Or I could even find a small group of champions to take you to some of the places you want to visit?" Anduin dried and set down the teacup.

"As tempting as that sounds, it wouldn't feel right to do my traveling while the war is still on. Besides, if I'm going to see Stormwind I'd love it if my soulmate could show it to me."

Anduin brightened. "I would love to show you my home."

"And if it's really my destiny to become your queen...," she trailed off and her words hung in the air.

"Only if you want it," he said quietly and met her emerald green eyes. Light, he realized then how badly he wanted her to want it. He wanted her to want _him_. After what he'd been through with Wrathion, he was dying for a chance to actually be someone's soulmate.

"What about you?" she asked. "Are you sure you don't want a real noble lady? Maybe one who doesn't hang out with ex-pirates and actually knows how to curtsey?"

"I don't care about any of that. The Light gave you to me. I can already see a lot of reasons why."

Taelia smiled at him. "Come on, let's go back down and tell them what we want then. Maybe you'll get to hear me use my squad-leader voice on King Greymane."

Anduin laughed. "I can't wait."


	11. Chapter 11

The results of the meeting in the harbormaster's office that followed when Anduin and Taelia came downstairs satisfied everyone except Genn and Shaw.

The plan was for Taelia to spend the next week in Boralus by Jaina's side learning the ropes and preparing to go to Stormwind. After a week, she and Galeheart would pack up their things and take a ship to the city. Taelia would move into Stormwind Keep, and continue to train with Jaina as an ambassador. Everyone except Genn agreed that their soulbond should be kept secret until after the war, but he backed down when Anduin and Taelia promised to spend plenty of time getting to know each other. That didn't make Shaw happy, but after a few nudges from his soulmate, agreed that the keep was the safest place for her despite the higher risk of the secret getting out.

In the week that followed, Taelia stayed busy. She found a replacement leader for her squad, attended every meeting with Jaina, and with the help and encouragement of Lady Katherine, bought an entire wardrobe.

"You don't have to wear gowns and dresses all the time, dear--you see what I tend to wear--but if you're going to be representing Kul Tiras in court, you're going to need more than riding leathers and your uniform," she had said. Jaina agreed.

Taelia found herself with two new role models. They were nice, though she often felt awkward around the Proudmoore mother and daughter who were still getting to know each other again after so many years apart. It was also nice to have Jaina to talk to as she discovered how much they had in common. Light-wielding royal soulmates and questionable draconic relationships aside, both knew what it was like to be one of the few women in male-dominated fields. Jaina was full of hard-won advice.

The night before she was set to board the ship for Stormwind, Taelia was in her room going through her bags finishing up last-minute packing. She came across the odd ring she'd picked off the warlock during the fight at Greystone Keep. As she held it, she could feel the difference in power imbued in it compared to the other two rings she typically wore with her gear. She switched out her worst ring with the new one and didn't think any more of it.

She continued to pack, taking the pins out of the new clothing items before folding them, and putting them in her trunk. Taelia couldn't imagine how she'd need all these clothes, but she trusted Lady Katherine.

Even though it would be a few days to Stormwind by boat, Taelia was still too excited to sleep that night. She looked around at her moonlit room and listened to the sounds of the water outside lapping against the docks, trying to appreciate what she knew could be her last night there for a very long time.

The next morning she said a tearful goodbye to Cyrus. She promised to write and visit whenever the ambassador position required her presence in Boralus. He reminded her she was welcome to visit for no reason at all.

With a light punch to the shoulder, her farewell to Flynn was much less heart-wrenching. She'd see him the next time his soulmate went on leave in Stormwind.

"You'd better have a list of the best taverns by the time I get there," he said.

"I'll try," she laughed. "And you try not to die without me, you crazy pirate."

* * *

For Anduin, the week was much more like his usual routine. Not much was different besides the argument he had with Genn over whether or not Taelia should be moved into the queen's suite. Genn only relented when Anduin cited the fact that his mother's things were still in there and he simply didn't have the time to go through it all. It was one more task he added to the list of things he ought to do when the war was over. As a compromise, Anduin had the closest guest room down the hall from the king's suite prepared for Taelia.

He also had the box of Bolvar Fordragon's things pulled out of storage.

"What have you told her of him?" asked Jaina.

Anduin shook his head. "Nothing. And I plan on telling her no more than the stories from when he was regent."

"She deserves to hear the truth, Anduin. From you," she argued.

"Tirion Fordring himself made us swear that we would keep the secret of Bolvar's fate. You made that vow just as I did."

"I remember your father once telling me that the hardest thing about a promise isn't keeping it, but knowing when it's right to break it."

Leave it to Jaina to hit him with his father's words.

"Bolvar was a noble man," said Anduin. "Knowing that he sits frozen upon that accursed throne, devoting his life to keeping the monsters at bay... It breaks my heart, I can't bear to see it break Taelia's too."

Jaina sighed, "The decision is yours, Anduin. But she will find out eventually, and when she learns the truth was kept from her, it will hurt her all the more."

He looked away guiltily. "Thank you for your advice. I will consider it."

Except he'd already made up his mind not to tell her.

With the Scourge no longer a threat, Anduin doubted that Taelia would ever discover the truth or ever need to know. There was no point in causing her unnecessary pain. He was thankful that in her list of places she wanted to travel, Northrend wasn't one of them. There was also a part of Anduin that didn't want to risk his soulmate wanting to go to arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world to see her father. Or worse, do something dangerous to try and rescue him.

It was better that she not be told.

Anduin felt the rest of the week passed much too slowly. Every time he sat down at his desk he was distracted by the thought of her. Too often he found himself picking up the little box he'd always kept on the corner of his desk and flipping it open, watching his mother's wedding rings sparkle. Every time, he set it back down, scolding himself. It was way too soon to be thinking such thoughts. Light forbid Genn was to catch him looking at the box and find out its contents. He'd never hear the end of it.

* * *

The day the ship docked in Stormwind was beautiful. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. The light reflected off the white stonework, making the city itself seem to glow. Taelia stood on the dock for a full five minutes, just looking up in awe. She had trouble closing her mouth when Jaina arrived to welcome her.

"Just wait until you see the keep," the mage laughed.

With Jaina on horseback and Taelia on Galeheart, they rode through the city to the keep's gates. Taelia almost forgot to blink with how much she looked around wide-eyed at everything.

It was so much bigger than Boralus with a much larger variety of people. There were so many night elves, dwarves, and gnomes as well as humans. She was a little embarrassed by how much she stared. Besides the few champions who helped unite Kul Tiras, she'd never seen so many different races in one place before.

When they got to the entrance of the keep, Taelia pulled up on Galeheart's reins, stopped, and stared at the great stone towers, battlements, and lion iconography before her.

"He lives here?" she murmured in disbelief.

"Many people live and work here, including you now, Ambassador. Stormwind Keep is more than just a place for the king to live," said Jaina. "Come on, I'll show you where Galeheart will be staying. Then we'll go see if we can find Anduin."

Taelia was pleased to see the king's gryphon stables were top-notch. After making sure her girl was happy and settled, Taelia followed Jaina through the gates of the keep.

She looked up at the gigantic statue of Varian Wrynn as they climbed the many steps. She noticed Jaina give it a sad smile in passing but didn't comment.

They walked up the ramp into the throne room. While Jaina asked the guards where the king was, Taelia stared at the throne with its golden lions, trying to picture Anduin sitting there.

"Come on. He's this way." Jaina led her off towards the hallway on the right.

"...and if the Alliance will not aid us, then we will do it alone!" echoed a stern voice from the room ahead.

Taelia and Jaina stood aside as the angriest night elf woman Taelia had ever seen strode past them. The blue-haired elf did not even spare them a glance as she exited.

"That can't be good," muttered Jaina, and continued into the room. They entered to find an unhappy Anduin staring down at a great wooden table piled with maps from all over Azeroth. Battle tokens were scattered across them and onto the floor.

When he looked up his eyes softened at the sight of them.

"You're here!" he said and danced around the tokens to the other side of the table.

"What did Tyrande want?" asked Jaina.

Taelia's mouth dropped open again. "That was Tyrande Whisperwind?!"

The corner of Anduin's mouth twitched in amusement before he resumed his seriousness. "She's going to take back Darkshore. She requested support, but I told her we didn't have any to give. We're already spread too thin as it is." He shook his head. "It's my problem to worry about, Jaina."

Before his adopted aunt could say more, Anduin turned towards Taelia and put on a cheerful face. "Welcome to Stormwind, how are you liking the city so far?"

"It's amazing Anduin. I can't wait to see more of it," she answered. She took a step towards him but then hesitated, glancing towards Jaina.

The mage smiled and waved her hand. "Go on, it's just me."

Taelia grinned and threw her arms around Anduin, who sighed and held her tightly with the most genuine smile Jaina had seen on him since his father died.

After their greetings, the conversation turned to how her trip was and where she would be staying. Since Anduin had some time before his next war meeting, he personally showed her around before taking her to her room. He was sure to point out the library, meeting rooms, training grounds, kitchen, and his study on the way. He even introduced her to some of the guards and servants.

Jaina trailed behind them, quietly observing.

When he showed Taelia to her room she moved around it not speaking a single word.

"Is this satisfactory?" he asked with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

She turned to him and laughed, "Anduin, this is the most luxurious place I've ever seen! Not to mention having servants around to do everything? It's too much really."

Jaina chuckled, "Once you start working, you'll see that it's not. You'll need someone to keep the clothes clean and remind you to eat."

"It might take me some time to get used to all of this," responded Taelia.

"I hope that you will," said Anduin. "Please don't hesitate to tell me if there's anything I can do to make settling in easier."

Eventually, Anduin had to leave them to go to his meeting, but he promised to see them at dinner. Jaina also left her to spend some time in the room unpacking. The mage promised to be there later to show her to the dining room.

Taelia put away her clothes and was amazed to find she didn't fill even a fourth of the closet space. She spent the rest of her time playing with the fancy bathroom fixtures and smelling all the strange products she found in there. That seemed to amuse Jaina when she came by to pick Taelia up, but the mage took a moment to point out a few of her favorites.

Dinner was an informal affair. They were joined only by Mia Greymane, as Genn had returned to his assignment in Boralus. Taelia couldn't help but like the Gilnean queen's straightforward manner, but the older woman clearly had the same agenda as her husband.

"After you have settled into your role as ambassador, I must insist on you spending some time with me. You absolutely must meet my daughter, as well. Perhaps if I can manage to wrangle her away from those rogues she sneaks around with I can give you both queen lessons at the same time."

"Mia!" exclaimed Anduin with an apologetic glance towards Taelia who just laughed.

"Hush, your majesty, and don't be naive. I am the best source of wisdom two future queens could ask for," said Mia primly.

"It's fine, Anduin," said Taelia. "I'd be happy to receive whatever wisdom you have to offer, Lady Greymane."

In a desperate attempt to change the topic, Anduin said, "Taelia, tomorrow I've arranged for us to take a tour of some of the important landmarks in the city. My secretary tells me the nobleman giving the tour has more knowledge than most of our historians."

"That sounds wonderful!" Taelia turned towards Jaina. "As long as we're not needed here?"

Jaina shook her head. "No, go do a little sight-seeing. After all, an ambassador must be a part of two cultures. You can start attending meetings with me the next day."

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. She said goodnight to Anduin with another discreet hug and spent her first night in Stormwind looking forward to seeing the city and spending more time with her soulmate.

* * *

Taelia and Anduin exchanged worried looks after they met the nobleman giving the tour. It turned out Lord Huntzberger had gained more knowledge than the city's historians through lived experience. The man had to be more than eighty years old.

He moved slowly and deliberately. Taelia was surprised he didn't break a hip walking let alone mounting and dismounting his horse. The worst thing was his monotone voice which never seemed to stop droning on and on. It was unfortunate because the information he gave seemed like it should have been interesting. However, the longer she listened the more she found her mind wandering, and she couldn't pay attention for more than a few minutes at a time.

The first place they visited was the Valley of Heroes at the gates of Stormwind. Lord Huntzberger rambled about the heroes whose likenesses were immortalized there. She didn't mind the terrible tour as long as she was with Anduin. It was worth it for the whispered commentary and jokes he would occasionally lean over to tell her. Not to mention the king looked truly regal riding his white horse, Reverence.

"He just mixed up Kurdran Wildhammer and Turalyon," confided Anduin.

Taelia snorted, "What? Are you sure?"

"Either that or Turalyon shrank three feet and has a penchant for gryphons I didn't know about," snickered Anduin. "Of all these statues to get wrong, I'd have thought he'd miss the one of Khadgar, not those. Khadgar looks nothing like that."

"You've met him?"

"Oh yes. I expect you will too the next time he decides to leave his tower and visit Stormwind. Just don't hope for it too hard. Visits from him usually mean the world is in peril."

They were interrupted by a messenger running up to them with a note for Anduin from the keep.

"Duty calls," he said. "I'm sorry, I promise to handle this as quickly as possible and meet back up with you later."

The tour was significantly less tolerable after that.

The next destination was a ride around the Trade District while Lord Huntzberger rambled about the economy, imports, exports, how well the auction house market was doing, and complaining that everything was going to fel in a handbasket. They passed by several restaurants, shops, and taverns that Taelia made mental notes to visit later in her free time.

Fortunately, Anduin was able to catch back up with them by the time they made it to the Cathedral of the Light.

"This might be my favorite place in the city," whispered Anduin reverently. "I used to come here more when I was a prince just to think and pray. The other priests here treat me like one of them. We're all equal in the Light. I loved that."

Taelia craned her neck, admiring the steeple and stonework as their guide droned about the age of the building, who designed it, and a litany of other inane facts. The best part was watching a peace settle over Anduin as they entered the sanctuary.

That peace faded when Lord Huntzberger said, "Though the building itself has been rebuilt three times, every royal wedding for the last thousand years has taken place on these premises. You must be looking forward to your turn, your majesty."

Anduin stuttered, "O-oh uh, yes of course."

"Every royal wedding has been one for the history books. I myself have been present for two of them, your father's and your grandfather's, may they rest in peace. If your majesty does not mind me saying it, I hope to live long enough to be present for a third."

The accusatory manner in which he spoke left Anduin too stunned to respond. Taelia's eyes widened.

Oblivious, Lord Huntzberger continued rambling, "Yes, each wedding is quite the event with thousands upon thousands of attendants pouring into the city from all over Azeroth. Very good for the economy. Would be very good for the economy especially during this war! Not to mention the opulence of the event itself is something to behold!"

Then for one arduous hour, Taelia and Anduin were regaled with the details and the cost of each royal wedding for the last two hundred years. Included in those details was an extensive analysis of Anduin's family tree and the economic benefits that the throne gained from each marriage.

"Yes, yes, it was very fortunate for House Wrynn as well as House Ellerian that the former king and queen were bonded. Other monarchs have not been so lucky. One can only pray to the Light for such good fortune yourself, your majesty."

Commenting on his bond was the last straw. Anduin interrupted the lord's ramblings graciously and made up an excuse. "My apologies, but I've just remembered a meeting that Ambassador Fordragon and I are supposed to attend."

They escaped as quickly as they could with Anduin leading her outside to the worship area and gazebo behind the cathedral.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea it was going to be like this."

"You couldn't have known," Taelia sighed.

"Are you okay? I would understand if you wanted to pack your bags for Boralus right now," he said with a chuckle, trying to make light of the situation.

Taelia's face fell. "Is that what you want?"

Anduin startled. "No, no! By the Light! That's the opposite of what I want!"

"I mean... I can't offer you any of the things he was talking about. Unless my father was hiding an extensive will, I don't come with a dowry. I don't have troops, or three hundred horses, or land to offer House Wrynn. I'm just... me."

"You are all I want!" Anduin exclaimed.

They both blushed at his blunt admission. After a moment, she reached out and took his hand, trying to dispel his worried look.

"Anduin, it's only my first full day here. He's only one noble. We haven't gotten a chance to get to know each other yet. I can deal with what everyone else says as long as you still want me here, and you don't expect me to be walking down that aisle before I'm ready."

"I want you here. And like I told you before, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Then I'm fine," she said with a squeeze of his hand. She spied one of his guards come around the corner and quickly dropped his hand. "Sneaking around is going to be hard, though."

"It's for the best. Nobles like him will be even more intolerable when they find out."

"I definitely agree, but I still wish I could kiss you right now."

He inhaled sharply and his eyes darkened. She gave him a coy smile and took a step back.

"Come on," she said. "We'll look rude if we don't actually go back to the keep."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, we wouldn't want Lord Monotone to think _we're_ the rude ones. Not after he spent the last hour lamenting my marital status because of the economy of all things!"

They found their mounts and rode back to the keep laughing and practicing impressions of their tour guide.

* * *

After that tour, Taelia didn't think things could get worse, but somehow they did.

The meetings she attended alongside Jaina went fine, but as soon as she tried going to them alone she was miserable. The nobles had respect for Jaina, or at least, Jaina seemed to command respect from them. The people Taelia met with had no qualms about judging her, and all of Kul Tiras for that matter.

It seemed that she did everything wrong. She wore the wrong things, shook hands wrong, spoke wrong. She had trouble figuring when to dress formally and when to dress casually, and always seemed to either overdress or underdress. Learning not to shake hands or touch people at all was another cultural difference to get used to. She also started to understand why Jaina had let her Kul Tiran accent fall out of habit. Although she always spoke politely, the mainlanders seemed to consider the accent itself uncouth and viewed those possessing it as unintelligent.

At least the actual job of ambassador wasn't hard. The paperwork and coordination that she was responsible for were things she could easily accomplish. No one complained that she was doing a bad job, and Taelia was content with that. As long as Jaina approved of the job she was doing, it didn't matter what all the stuck-up nobles thought of her.

If only she could get them to stop criticizing her at every turn.

Mia did her best to encourage Taelia, telling her that the nobles were a tight-knit social group often hostile to outsiders. It would take time to build rapport and respect, but she seemed confident the young warrior would do it eventually. Mia pointed out that they would change their tune if they knew why Taelia was really there.

"Just you wait until those hens learn you are to be their queen. Suddenly the way you dress and speak will be the new fashion," explained Mia.

The thought of people using her as an example for anything besides fighting mortified Taelia.

She found the people she got along with best were the guards and soldiers, much to the ever-growing chagrin of the nobles. She trained and sparred daily, refusing to let her skills dull, and earned respect among the martial men and women of the keep.

Of course, the most enjoyable part of her daily routine remained her flights with Galeheart. Taelia and her girl would slip the guards early each morning and take off for some new, undiscovered corner of the city.

If seeing Anduin were a daily occurrence, she would have named that her favorite part of the day. Unfortunately, he was constantly busy. If he wasn't in meetings he was in his office doing paperwork. The list of things a king had to do was endless. He received dignitaries, met with nobles, and settled disputes. There was also a constant stream of information that came and went to coordinate the war effort. Taelia was able to be in some of the meetings with him, but it was work, not time they really got to spend together. She enjoyed their stolen minutes together when they got them, but she could never catch him alone.

Life at the keep was often overwhelming, and one day, her tolerance reached its limit.

Taelia was at an afternoon tea with a couple of noblewomen who spent the meeting pointing out her many _peculiarities_ as they put it.

"Oh dear, you simply must use my recommendation for a lotion for those _calluses_ on your hands!"

"I love the _simplicity_ of your hair. It must be so easy to do in the morning!"

"Oh, you have such a _quaint_ turn of phrase, Ambassador!"

"I wish I were brave enough to pull off a sleeveless dress. Though I suppose it's a necessity with your... _build_."

Taelia decided she would grin and bear it, trying desperately to steer the conversation back to work. Then somehow, the two gossips managed to bring up the subject of their king's love life.

"Ladies, I don't think this is really appropriate--," Taelia tried to say, but they seemed beyond caring that she was even there.

"You know my father says the reason he keeps his mark covered is that it's not in common?"

"I know! A non-human! Do you think he's met them yet? He might be hiding them. He must know the people can't possibly accept anything less than a full human heir."

"The House is working on a solution. They've already compiled a list of suitable alternatives. I heard they're drafting a bill to make him marry one of them by the time he's twenty-one."

"Fantastic! If the one he picks is any good then we should have an heir secured sometime in the next two or three years."

Taelia felt sick. It only got worse as the two women proceeded to talk about the list of candidates as if they were broodmares and Anduin some prized stallion, arguing about which match would produce the best results.

She couldn't listen to it anymore. Abruptly she stood and excused herself. The two women didn't seem to notice.

Taelia stormed off to her room and looked around feeling helpless. None of the nobles were the kind of bullies that could be beaten with fists. The number twenty-one echoed in her head, it was little more than a year away. The issue wasn't one she could fight, expectations weren't something she could hit until they went away.

The young warrior felt the pull of her other instinct. Run.

Taelia was going to run, but she wasn't going to do it alone.

* * *

Anduin answered the knock at his bedroom door to find Taelia standing there in a pink sundress and a mischievous grin on her face. Then he found himself being pushed back as she barged in before he could say anything.

"I'm kidnapping you," she blurted.

"What?"

"You're coming with me. We're going out tonight and taking our own tour of Stormwind. One that isn't horrible."

Taelia crossed his room and went to the door that looked the most like it could be his closet and opened it.

"Um... looking for something specific?"

"Do you have anything in here that isn't gold or blue or royal? Surely you don't wear the regalia all the time."

"Hey, what's going on?"

She turned to him and fixed him with a serious look. "I need to get out. I feel overwhelmed and there's nothing to punch. The thing is I don't want to run alone, I want you to come with me. Just for an evening. Let's go have dinner and see the city. By ourselves. No guards. No one breathing down our necks. No expectations. Just us."

"I don't know... This isn't a good idea, Taelia. I need to be here in case--"

"Anduin, please. Come run away with me. It's only for a few hours."

He looked into her pleading eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He went to a set of drawers in his closet. He opened one of them, pushed aside some clothes, and lifted up a false bottom. He pulled out a set of commoner's clothes with a simple cloak, linen shirt, leather trousers, and some sort of charm on a necklace.

Taelia raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Anduin Wrynn, you do surprise me."

He rolled his eyes. "Occasionally even a king feels the need to sneak out for an evening."

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the charm.

He grinned and put it on. In an instant, his bright blonde hair turned jet black. She gasped, "Where did you get that?!"

"Jaina got it for me after catching me sneak out once. It's perfect isn't it?"

Taelia gave him a skeptical look and approached him. He stilled when she reached up and touched one of his bangs. "I like your natural color better, but yes, for our purposes this is perfect! Get dressed! I'm taking you slumming!"


	12. Chapter 12

Anduin was in love.

 _Light, I am so stupid_ , he told himself. How had he managed to fall again so hard and so fast?

He wasn't sure exactly when it happened, there were so many moments to choose from, but he could have probably fallen for her based on the way she gave casual intimacy alone. It was so strange and wonderful the way she was always touching him, or was this something regular people had that he'd never experienced? He loved the way she grabbed his arm when she saw something amazing, or took his hand to pull him to the next destination, or the way her foot found his when they sat across from each other.

It made him feel so normal. With her, he could just be Anduin.

After using the secret exit from his rooms to escape the keep, they came out in Old Town. Not wanting to be anywhere near SI:7 headquarters, they gave it a wide berth and quickly moved on to the Trade District. Taelia had actually explored a lot of the Trade District on her daily expeditions and took him to a few of her favorite shops.

"I'm dying to see the Mage District, I haven't had a reason to go over there yet," she said as they walked the canals hand in hand.

"Well let's go then!" he responded.

She marveled at the beautiful trees, flowers, and the streets paved with grass.

"You could never get anything like this to grow in Boralus," she commented. "You could almost walk barefoot."

"Some of the druids do," joked Anduin.

They decided to stop and have dinner at the Blue Recluse, taking a table in a quiet corner away from the other patrons.

"Taelia," he said after their drinks were brought. "What happened today? Why did you feel like you needed to get away?"

She frowned and took a long sip. "It's nothing. Just a rumor I heard from two noblewomen gossiping at tea. It's probably not even true."

"Tell me."

With a deep breath, she explained, "They were talking about why you keep your marks covered. They think it's because you have a non-human soulmate. They said the House of Nobles has made a list of women and they're drafting a bill to make you marry one of them by the time you turn twenty-one."

Taelia was surprised to see such a murderous look on the priest.

"Is that all?" he said in a low voice.

"The rest was just their speculation on heirs... and when to expect them."

"Who did you meet with? What houses were they from?"

Taelia looked up, startled. "Oh... That's not important. I don't want to get them in trouble..."

"Taelia..."

She took his hand to quiet him. "It's fine. Really. Besides, it's just gossip. The House couldn't actually force you to get married... Could they?"

Anduin took a long pull from his drink. "The House has its ways of manipulating monarchs. They've done it before."

"But, soulbonds--"

"--don't matter to many of them. They don't care that every time the House has forced a royal to go against their bonds that it's ended badly. All they care about is a clear line of succession." He squeezed her hand. "Try not to worry about it. They haven't passed anything yet and there's plenty I can do to slow them down. I imagine they're probably waiting until after the war anyway."

They were briefly distracted by the arrival of their food.

"How did your parents make it work?" asked Taelia after the waitress walked away.

Anduin let out a short laugh, "My parents were one in a million. The way my father told it, my mother figured out it he was her soulmate at his coronation and conspired to meet him the next day. He described it as love at first sight. The houses couldn't have been happier. They were married as soon as a wedding could be planned. Nine months later, I was born."

"...so they made it work by doing everything they were expected to do."

"We don't have to be like them."

They ate in silence for a while.

"Lion's Rest is close isn't it?" asked Taelia.

"I should really get back to the keep after dinner..."

"Please, I've been waiting to see it with you."

How could he refuse her?

They walked through the memorial, avoiding any guards that might have a chance of recognizing them while Taelia prodded him for happier stories of his father.

"I wish I could have met him."

"He would have loved you," said Anduin. "He'd be glad to know there's a warrior by my side."

She smiled.

He continued, "It's getting dark, we should go back to the keep."

"Fine, but can we walk by Stormwind Lake first?"

Reluctant for the evening to end, Anduin tamped down his rising anxiety about being gone too long, and let her lead him to the lake.

* * *

They heard the storm approaching before they saw it. They thought they had more time before the rain started, but they were in the middle of walking around Olivia's Pond on the path to the Dwarven District when the bottom of the sky dropped out.

They looked at each other and realized at the same time that getting drenched was inevitable.

Taelia laughed and spread her arms, looking up at the sky and letting the rain wash over her.

"Taelia! You're going to get struck by lightning! Come on!" Anduin laughed and grabbed her hand. They ran towards the wall, he sent a quick thanks to the Light that no one was around due to the weather. Pulling her under an awning he realized the dry space was small so he put an arm around her waist and tugged her against him so they could both fit.

"Doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon."

Slowly, she reached up and brushed her fingers against his cheek. Anduin looked down at her and registered the intimate position they were in. Suddenly he was very aware of the way her dress was plastered to her skin. She was looking up at him with an amazed expression on her face.

"You touched me that time," she whispered. "That's the first time you've just... reached out and touched me."

"Is that okay? I just-- mrph!" He was interrupted by her lips crashing into his.

Immediately all his reservations melted away. With his arm around her waist he pulled her flush up against him, he hooked the other hand around the back of her neck and kissed her with reckless abandon.

Her hands were everywhere, grasping his shirt, cupping his jaw, squeezing his bicep, before finally both buried in his hair. Despite being soaked to the skin, there was no chill, he felt nothing but heat pressed up against her.

She was the first to drawback and breathed, "Anduin... I want to... can we..."

While she tried to get out her words, he pressed small kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Tasting her along with the rainwater, he chased the drops down her skin with his tongue.

"Yes," he mumbled into the crook of her neck. "Light, yes. Let's go back to the keep."

He took her by the hand and led her to the closest hidden entrance.

The tunnel was dark, so Anduin used a simple spell to hold a dim light in his hand. His tumultuous thoughts were hard to pin down. He was trying not to panic while also trying to remember the contraceptive spells that were a part of his healer's training. The closer they got to his bedroom, the harder his heart pounded, and the more Taelia's hands wandered.

When they got to his bedroom's hidden door, Taelia took him by the lapels and slammed him up against it. He moaned against her mouth as she unbuttoned his shirt. She made quick work of it and moved to his belt, tugging at it, trying to unbuckle it.

Then suddenly the door opened and he was falling backward into his room with Taelia on top of him.

She fell onto his chest with an "Oof!"

They both looked up to see the curious fel-green eyes of Valeera staring down at them.

Taelia's reaction was much quicker than his.

"Assassin!" exclaimed Taelia and swiped out with her arm, knocking a surprised Valeera off her feet. In a flash, Taelia was up and tackling the blood elf, pinning her to the floor.

However, it seemed Valeera wasn't about to let herself be subdued so easily as she twisted and slid out from under the warrior.

"Anduin? A little help here?" said the rogue as she somersaulted backward to dodge the elbow Taelia threw at her face.

Anduin finally got to his feet. "Taelia stop! She's a friend!" he said as he grabbed his soulmate about the waist and pulled her away.

"Friend?" Taelia echoed. He set her on her feet and she smoothed down her dress.

"Taelia, this is Valeera Sanguinar, I've known her for years. She helped my father when he disappeared, and she helps me now. Valeera, this is Taelia Fordragon, my soulmate."

Valeera looked them up and down. That's when Anduin realized how disheveled he looked drenched from the rain with his completely open shirt, undone belt, and prominent... He moved his cloak to cover the front of his pants.

Valeera smirked. "I suppose it'd be silly of me to ask where you've been?"

"Did you have urgent business?"

"I come with messages from Saurfang, but your staff and advisors have been looking for you for hours. The attack on Dazar'alor happened ahead of schedule. It escalated quickly. Anduin... King Rastakhan is dead."

"What?! How?!" Anduin darted to his closet to find his normal clothing.

"Jaina killed him. You should get to the map room as soon as possible to let them fill you in. I will wait in your study with my other messages." Valeera nodded towards Taelia. "My lady." Then she left.

"Anduin...," started Taelia.

"I should have been here."

"Anduin, I'm sorry..."

He stopped with his rushing around and went to her. "Taelia, I had a wonderful evening, the best in a very long time. Thank you for that." He kissed her on the forehead. "You have no idea how much I wish it didn't have to end right now."

"I have some idea." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Go. People need you. I'll see you later."

"Goodnight, Taelia."

"Goodnight."

With dry clothes in hand, he ran to his bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"People will always need you," she sighed before retreating to her own room.

* * *

They didn't see much of each other over those next few weeks. The war had reached its peak. The messages Valeera brought that night started the beginning of the cross-faction plan to remove Sylvanas from power. Together with Saurfang and the Horde rebellion, Anduin and the last of the Alliance soldiers prepared to march on the gates of Orgrimmar.

The next time Taelia and Anduin got to really speak was an argument over whether or not she should go.

"Anduin, you can't be serious!"

"I am being serious. You're not going."

"Anduin, I'm a warrior! You're going to need every fighter you can get to win this battle! I know for a fact you're scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one. Take me with you! Even if it's just to stay in the back lines. I don't want to stay here feeling useless!"

"No. I'm ordering you to stay at the keep."

She yelled her frustration and stormed out, heading straight for the training grounds. Soon she had destroyed several training dummies.

During the siege, she flew with Galeheart in circles around the Mage District. They must have flown a hundred laps around the tallest tower that housed the portal room. The mages had opened a temporary portal from there to the Horde capital through which messengers could travel.

After a few hours of flying, she ignored the disapproving looks from the mages and guards and entered the tower. She paced the halls, watching for anyone to come through the portal. She made up her mind that if the news was bad, she was forcing her way through it, orders be damned.

The first breathless messenger delivered the news she least expected. It was all over. The battle hadn't happened at all.

Saurfang had challenged Sylvanas to a Mak'gora and lost. It seemed that Sylvanas had flown away, abandoning the Horde. The other Horde leadership were banding together to figure out what to do next, but the writing was on the wall. The war was over.

Most importantly, Anduin was safe, and that was all she cared about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back next chapter...


	13. Chapter 13

Taelia sat astride Galeheart waving as Flynn's ship, the _Bold Arva_ , docked in Stormwind harbor.

At the sight of the ship's red-headed captain, Galeheart let out an excited squawk and bounded onto the deck, nearly bowling Flynn over.

"Alright, Gale! It's good to see you too! Oi, Taelia! Control your bird!" laughed Flynn.

"Sorry!" exclaimed Taelia, patting the gryphon on the neck. "Down, girl!"

The effect of calming the gryphon was ruined when Taelia dismounted and almost knocked him over herself with the force of her hug.

"I think you were missed," deadpanned Mathias Shaw as he emerged from the captain's quarters.

"Don't even joke," said Taelia as she reluctantly released her best friend. "I'm really glad you're here. Both of you. Shaw, please tell me you have good news."

The concerned look on the spymaster's face told her in an instant that he didn't. Her shoulders sagged.

"I should really wait to disclose any information until after the meeting with his majesty," said Shaw.

Taelia scowled. "Good luck. He's been in a mood ever since Sylvanas flew off to Light-knows-where. This N'zoth mystery has only made him worse."

"You don't seem like your normal chipper self either Tae. You feeling alright?" asked Flynn.

"I'm just tired."

"Perhaps you could use a day away from the keep, my lady. I'm sure Flynn would like to catch up with you as well. Why don't the two of you find one of those terrible taverns you like so much, and I'll join you after my meeting?" suggested Shaw.

Flynn blinked. It was barely noon. Over Taelia's head, Flynn raised a suspicious eyebrow at his soulmate. All he received in return was an almost imperceptible nod from the rogue. Flynn decided to roll with it. Far be it for him to turn down the suggestion of alcohol at any time of the day.

"That sounds good. Come on Tae, you look like you could use a drink. Where's the worst watering holes in the city?"

After convincing Shaw that they didn't need an SI:7 escort, she took Flynn to a hole-in-the-wall bar which also happened to have the strongest dwarven beer in the city.

"So what's really the matter?" Flynn asked her as soon as they were away. "And don't give me any of that 'I'm just tired' shite."

Taelia looked forlornly into her stein. "Let's see. Where do you want me to start? Would you like to hear about how all the nobles hate me? Or would you like me to skip straight to my soulmate troubles?"

"Soulmate troubles. What's the matter with his royal majesty?"

"I don't know! He's been acting so weird ever since the battle. I mean I would expect him to be stressed with this treaty and trying to please everyone, but he's driving himself crazy over finding Sylvanas. Then these N'zoth reports landed on his desk and no one seems to know anything about it! He's so tired and irritable, I'm afraid to even try and bring up my travel plans."

"Just ask him in bed," joked Flynn.

Taelia blushed, "Oh, uh... We haven't..."

Flynn gaped at her. "You haven't had sex yet?! You've been here for months!"

Taelia groaned and put her head in her hands. "I know! I tried!"

"You tried?"

"We got interrupted."

"By what?"

"Um, the war? And even though it's over now somehow he's even more stressed."

"Jump his bones, Tae. If you ask me, that's half your problem. You both need to get laid," nodded Flynn sagely.

Taelia rolled her eyes. "Very romantic."

"You can have romance after you're not frustrated anymore. Besides, you've got to tell me what the lad is like in bed."

"NO!"

"C'mon! We have to talk about your sex life, I'm not allowed to talk about mine anymore!"

Taelia snorted. "Really? Why's that?"

Flynn cleared his throat and recited, "I can neither confirm nor deny that Mathias Shaw and I are having _intimate relations_."

"Come up with that yourself did you?"

"Yep, with a dagger to the bollocks... I mean, uh... _I have not been coerced_."

Taelia burst out laughing. "It's so good to see you, Flynn. I really missed you. How long do you think you guys will stay?"

"I'm moving some things in with him," said Flynn with a brilliant smile. "We have our jobs, but when I'm not sailing and he's not spying, this will be home."

"It'll be nice to have you around."

"Yes, clearly you need my help."

"If you say _anything_ to him I'm feeding you to Galeheart."

"Please, that bird wouldn't hurt me. Except for the time she almost took my head off trying to preen me."

"Hey, I trained her not to do that anymore!" laughed Taelia.

The two joked and talked for a while and ordered a couple more rounds.

"I hope Shaw's report goes well," said Taelia. "Did you really find nothing on N'zoth?"

Flynn shook his head. "Not that I know of, but I think Mathias has something up his sleeve. I'm not sure what it is yet. We'll find out when he wants us to and not a moment sooner."

"I wonder why the secrecy. Whatever it is, it better be good, Anduin is going to flip."

* * *

"You mean to tell me that _none_ of your spies have returned?! N'zoth is out there and we need answers! Now!" shouted Anduin.

"We are doing all we can," soothed Shaw. "Speaker Magni is coming along with a new... advisor. He claims to have information for us."

"Oh by the Light, a new advisor," muttered Anduin rubbing his temple, trying to calm his incessant headache.

Anduin looked up at the sound of someone clearing their throat, and then there he was, striding into the throne room like it was nothing.

" _Wrathion_?"

His soulmate. He looked... so much older, but it was definitely still him.

Anduin saw red. Suddenly every bit of anger, stress, and pent-up emotion boiled inside him. Everything disappeared except for the sight of the black dragon's approach. The blood roared in his ears so he heard nothing. He stood up from the throne and marched across the room.

Before he knew what he was doing, he reeled back and punched that smug look right off Wrathion's face.

Anduin had to admit, it felt good to watch him stumble.

Wrathion straightened and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I suppose I deserve that."

"Oh, you deserve more than that! My father is _dead_ because of you!" Anduin yelled.

"And _my_ father is dead because of the old gods," shot back Wrathion.

"Lad," interjected Magni. "He's come to help us."

Anduin glowered at Wrathion. What help could he possibly have to offer? The death of his father was only the first item on the list of things he wanted to yell at Wrathion about. Anduin glanced around at the audience in the room and reminded himself that he was still the king.

"Speak."

As Wrathion explained what he knew about N'zoth, Anduin paced. He couldn't even _look_ at Wrathion without wanting to hit him again.

At the dragon's suggestion, they ended up walking in circles around the garden to the left of the throne room.

"Nefarian the Earth-warder was once the protector of Azeroth, but N'zoth turned a noble mind to madness. Now my father is only remembered as Deathwing," explained Wrathion more for the benefit for the other advisors present. "And as I haven't the least desire to share that fate, I've been studying how to avoid it."

" _Just_ , tell me how to prepare for this attack. Our armies--"

"--will be useless. N'zoth will strike here," said the dragon, pointing to Anduin's head. "He'll manipulate emotions, get people to act in ways contrary to their nature. You won't be able to trust your senses, your memories... your friends. After all, what is real if our perceptions can't be trusted?"

Anduin looked down, thinking of his own behavior shouting at Shaw, hitting Wrathion, and even in general for the past few weeks. He'd been so angry at everyone and everything. He wanted to blame it on the stress and lack of sleep, not to mention the fact that Wrathion deserved it, but he didn't feel like himself. Anduin remembered the horrible nightmares he'd been having. It occurred to him that perhaps those weren't as natural as he thought.

Suddenly it was like he was living in one.

He turned and saw his city covered in a dark purple haze. The sun was blotted out by the shadow of a giant tentacled monster with eerie orange eyes crashing into the Cathedral of the Light.

"Anduin... ANDUIN!" Wrathion's voice broke through the vision and Anduin came out of it with a gasp.

"Don't you see, _old friend_? It's already begun."

Anduin bristled at the term and turned to face him. "Very well, _advisor_. Tell us how to stop him."

They returned to the throne room and put together a plan to gather a group of champions, prepare them, and attack Ny'alotha head on to kill N'zoth once and for all. Wrathion was doing his best to project his usual confidence, that hadn't changed, but the look on Magni's crystalline face told Anduin all he needed to know about the dangerousness of their plan.

The meeting ended with promises to keep the Alliance abreast of the situation with regular reports.

Anduin was hoping Wrathion would leave with the champions but had no such luck.

The dragon turned to find the king scowling at him and asked, "Anduin, might I have a moment of your time?"

"What more do you want?"

"I just want to talk."

"I'm not interested in hearing your excuses Wrathion."

"What about an apology?"

Anduin cursed himself as his resolve wavered at those words.

"Fine."

He indicated the dragon follow him down the hall to his study and closed the door behind them.

Anduin walked to his desk and leaned against the front of it. He crossed his arms and looked expectantly at the dragon.

Wrathion looked back. "Are you going to offer me a seat?"

"No."

Wrathion sighed.

"Well, go on," said Anduin. "I do believe the word 'apology' crossed your lips?"

Wrathion shifted uncomfortably. Anduin found he quite enjoyed putting the dragon on the spot.

"I'm sorry," began Wrathion. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I should have never left you."

Anduin's heart clenched. He looked at his soulmate through narrowed eyes, trying to tell if he was being genuine.

"Why did you do it Wrathion?"

"At the time I thought I was doing what was right. You have to understand, I thought I was helping Kairozdormu stop the Burning Legion. I will admit to falling prey to hubris, but I couldn't have foreseen what happened as a result."

Anduin clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger. "Are you saying that what happened isn't your fault?!"

"I was... misguided."

" _Misguided_ ," scoffed Anduin.

"Anduin..."

"Okay, so you're sorry for leaving. Why didn't you come back? Where have you _been_ all this time?"

Wrathion took a deep breath. "I thought after everything that happened, maybe my initial inclination towards having soulmates had been correct and that you'd be better off without me."

"Maybe I am," spat Anduin.

Wrathion winced at his venomous outburst but continued, "At first I spent my time organizing the Blacktalons against the Legion. Lately, I've been doing research, and not only about N'zoth... I've recently been made aware of certain effects of soulbonds and their purpose."

"What are you talking about?"

Wrathion rubbed the back of his head. "Do you remember when I told you it was a dragon responsible for soulmarks?"

"I do," responded Anduin. He remembered very well the conversation they had right before their first kiss and hated that Wrathion was reminding him of it.

"While I was studying old gods at Karazhan, I received a visit from that dragon."

Anduin did not seem sufficiently impressed, but Wrathion kept talking, "She explained that the soulmarks help people find their soulmates in the hopes that the knowledge would enable people to make soulbonds stronger. She showed me how these connections between people help hold the fabric of our timestream together."

"Soulbonds hold the timestream together? Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?"

"It's true! Many bonds were weakened around the time the portal to the other Draenor was opened, ours included. And if I hadn't ignored our bond and stayed with you, I wouldn't have helped create the timestream problems that I did!"

Wrathion took a step towards him. "I was wrong to abandon you. I want to try and fix what I broke, to have a real bond with you. Anduin, I'm asking for a second chance."

On the outside, all that Wrathion could see was Anduin's jaw clench. Inside, Anduin's emotions were roiling. It seemed like every emotion was battling to be felt at once. Sadness leaked out of the wounds on his heart that he thought long healed. There was overwhelming anger at Wrathion's audacity, but also elation at the fact his soulmate was alive and well and _looking like that_ and in front of him asking to be taken back.

What won out in his mind was skepticism. He wasn't a prince anymore. He couldn't afford to get swept away again. He had to keep his head and keep a rein on his heart. As much as his heart wanted him to let Wrathion back in, there was no way he could be trusted.

"How can you expect me to believe you, Wrathion? This isn't the first time you've changed your mind about soulbonds."

"I don't expect you to trust me, not yet. I realize I need to earn that. All I'm asking for is a chance."

Anduin sighed and rubbed at his temples, his headache still splitting. He needed time to think about all of this.

"You have a touch of corruption on you," observed Wrathion.

Anduin looked up at him. "What?"

"You've been having headaches and nightmares haven't you? Would you like me to remove it?"

"You can do that?"

"I've developed a corruption cleansing spell. It's not a permanent solution, but it will help," said the dragon as he reached out towards Anduin.

Anduin leaned away from his hands, remembering the last time Wrathion touched him he woke up on the floor of Garrosh's prison.

Wrathion paused. "I'm not going to hurt you Anduin."

Anduin hesitated, then took a deep breath and nodded, gripping the edge of the desk behind him.

Wrathion placed his hands on either side of the king's head and his eyes glowed brighter. Anduin held his breath at the dragon's touch, resisting the urge to pull away. Then his eyes fluttered closed and he sighed as relief flooded his head. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel pain.

Anduin slowly opened his eyes, and his breath caught at Wrathion's proximity. The dragon's form had certainly changed since the last time Anduin was this close to him. Anduin's eyes ran over the mass of thick black hair, to his full beard, to the patch of chest hair peeking out from between his necklace and the V of his coat.

His gaze flicked back up and he realized Wrathion was smirking at him again. Anduin took the dragon's wrists and pushed them away, quickly stepping back as his face flushed.

"I'm still mad at you."

"I know."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Defeat N'zoth, prove to me you're serious about protecting Azeroth... then we'll talk about our bond," said Anduin.

Wrathion chuckled, "Kill an old god to win a king's favor. Simple."

"Do you really think you can do it?"

Wrathion grew serious. "Nothing else will matter if I can't."

"For the sake of the world I wish you luck," Anduin said, straightening his sash. "Now I should probably get back before they start looking for me."

Wrathion tilted his head. "Are you sure there's not anything else for us to discuss? _Anyone_ else perhaps?"

Anduin put on his neutral diplomatic face. "No."

Wrathion scoffed, "Were you seriously not going to tell me about Taelia Fordragon?! I never took you for one to be so petty."

Anduin jerked in surprise. "How did you--"

"I felt it when you met!"

"No, I knew that. How did you know her name? Are you spying on me?!"

Wrathion waved a hand dismissively. "I have agents everywhere, Anduin. It wasn't hard to figure out. Unless you've invited anyone else with the initials TF to live with you lately?"

Anduin made a disgruntled noise and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I want to meet her, Anduin."

Anduin's head snapped up. He gave the dragon a measured look.

"No."

Wrathion's eyes flared. "You know I could easily go find her myself."

"You just said you want to earn back my trust, and I don't trust you anywhere near her," hissed Anduin.

The dragon clenched his fists and literally blew smoke. "She and I are bound, Anduin! Just as you and I are! Do you really want to tempt fate by keeping us apart?"

Anduin was unmoved by his argument.

He blew out another puff of smoke, trying to calm himself. "Aspects only know what you've told her about me--"

"I haven't told her anything that isn't true."

Wrathion flinched at that. "Fair enough."

They stared at each other angrily. Finally, Wrathion broke his gaze and pulled something from his pocket.

"You don't want to introduce us, fine. I will agree to not seek her out on my own if you agree to take this."

He held out his hand. Dangling from a golden chain was a small pendant with a black gem.

"What is it?"

"It's made from a piece of myself, one of my own scales. I got the idea from reading about something one of Alexstrasza's consorts did a long time ago. It will allow you to contact me at any time."

Anduin hesitated before reaching out to take it. "Fine."

"Please be careful with it. I'd ask that you don't take it off. In the wrong hands, it could be a powerful tool used against me."

Anduin fastened it around his neck and examined it. "How do I use it to contact you?"

"Just hold it and think of me."

Anduin closed his eyes and thought, _Wrathion_.

 _Just like that_ , he heard Wrathion's voice in his mind.

Anduin glared at him and said aloud, "This works both ways doesn't it?"

"Don't worry, it takes a good bit of my attention to use. I'll be busy figuring out how to kill N'zoth. If it makes you feel better I won't use it unless you contact me first."

"I'm not going to promise to wear it all the time but I promise it will be safe."

Wrathion let out an angry huff. "Just promise me you'll use it if you change your mind, that would be enough."

* * *

Not long after Wrathion left, Anduin called Mathias Shaw into his office. He gestured for the spymaster to take a seat.

"Master Shaw, I believe I owe you thanks."

"What for, your majesty?"

"Ambassador Fordragon was not in the keep when my... new advisor arrived."

"If Captain Fairwind and the lady wish to indulge in drinks in the middle of the day, that's no business of mine."

"Oh, but I believe it was."

Shaw remained silent.

"The only thing I'm wondering is why?"

There was a long pause before Shaw answered, "I don't imagine adventurous Kul Tirans and conniving black dragons as a combination are good for security."

"Security."

"Yes, your majesty."

Anduin looked at his spymaster. "So the next time my advisor is here with updates about N'zoth..."

"The ambassador might find herself with an opportunity for another outing."

"We understand each other then."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Shaw stood to leave.

"Oh, and Shaw?" The spy paused by the door. "Make sure we know which of the staff are Blacktalons."

Shaw sighed. "Yes, your majesty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again" XD
> 
> I write these chapters two or three in advance so it's really fun to see y'all's speculation in the comments. Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Taelia was alone and cold. She tried to move her arms but found she couldn't. Looking to her sides, she saw why; her wrists were chained to a chair made of ice. Snow and hail swirled around her, as she knelt chained to this frozen platform. Every breath she took was sharp and agonizing due to the bitter cold.

Despite the pain, she screamed as loud as she could. She called out for someone, anyone to help her. There was no response.

Suddenly she saw ominous shapes moving in the mist. There were sets of twin pinpricks of glowing blue light that might have been eyes. She felt like she was being watched. She cried out to them to no avail.

The tears she cried did not fall, but instead froze to her face. She screamed for so long she couldn't believe her voice hadn't given out.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she stopped. She was alone. No one was coming for her.

* * *

Taelia woke from the nightmare with a start and stilled at the sight that greeted her. She blinked a few times, certain that she must still be dreaming.

There, in the middle of her room, was a floating orange eyeball with its gaze fixed on her. Purple tendrils coalesced around it. As soon as she reached for her hammer, she heard an eerie deep laugh at the back of her mind and it blinked out of existence.

She stared at the spot for a full minute before getting out of bed, grabbing her weapon, and approaching the middle of the room cautiously.

 _I must be losing it_ , she thought.

After determining that the eye must have been a figment from her nightmare, she set down her hammer and put on a robe over her nightgown. There was no way she was getting any more sleep.

She'd been having the frozen nightmare for the past couple of weeks, but the strange post-dream hallucination was new. Her head ached and she felt like the sleep she'd gotten hadn't actually been restful. She thought about making an appointment with a healer, but changed her mind when she realized how crazy she would sound. The nobles already had enough ammunition as it was; she didn't need rumors circulating that she was also going insane. She decided that the cause of it all was probably just stress and lack of sleep, and made up her mind to pick up some peacebloom tea from an apothecary.

Taelia went to her window and looked out at the sleeping Stormwind. It was still too early to start her day. She doubted even the servants would be up at this hour, and decided to go down to the kitchen. If she was going to be up she needed coffee.

Opening her door, she looked down the hall and found it empty, but noticed a light coming from underneath one of the doors.

 _Strange_ , she thought. It wasn't a room she knew to be occupied.

Partially out of curiosity and partially to test if she was still dreaming, Taelia padded down the hall and knocked on the door.

The door creaked open to reveal a lethargic Anduin. His hair was down and he was wearing a pair of sleep shorts which she could spy through his open robe. When he realized it was her standing in the hall eyeing the scars on his chest, he fumbled to close the robe and tie it.

"Taelia! What are you doing up?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I could ask the same of you."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Couldn't sleep. Nightmares."

"Yeah, me too," she said. This wasn't his room. She leaned and peered around him and saw a suite similar to his. There was an open closet in which she could see dresses. Near the window was a writing desk with drawers hanging open and surrounded by boxes. "What are you doing in here?"

Anduin turned, following her gaze. "Oh, I'm just going through some of my mother's things." He let her in, checking to make sure no one else was in the hall to see them before he closed the door.

She walked over to the desk and looked over some of the things scattered there. It was mostly knick-knacks, a couple of prayer books, quills, pencils, and random scraps of paper with notes and doodles on them. Taelia picked up a strand of pearls and ran them through her fingers.

"This was her room?"

"Yes, uh... this is the queen's suite."

That explained it. This was the room next to his. Then it occurred to Taelia that he was probably cleaning it out _for her_. She set down the necklace, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Oh."

He walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and sat down, picking up a leather-bound book.

"I was just reading her journal again. This is going to sound terrible, but it makes me feel better knowing Azeroth has always seemed like it was going to end at any given moment, and that I'm not the only monarch to deal with a kingdom constantly in peril."

Taelia snorted and walked over to settle next to him on the couch.

He shrugged, "At least Stormwind isn't overrun and burned down by demon-blood-crazed orcs so I suppose things could be worse."

"I don't know, I think I prefer the enemy I can see to the one I can't," responded Taelia. She knew he was still struggling with Sylvanas missing and had sent champions to fight N'zoth, both of which seemed to be elusive enemies. He hadn't explained the problems in much detail, though.

"Good point," Anduin sighed.

She leaned over and ran her fingers through his hair, tucking part of it behind his ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked over at her in surprise. "No, not really."

She could see the circles under his eyes. Tides, he looked so tired.

"C'mere," she said, then pulled at his arm, arranging them so they were laying down, cuddled up next to each other with his head pillowed against her chest. She continued stroking his hair. "Relax," she whispered.

It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

She awoke to the sun peeking over the horizon, thankful for no more nightmares. She felt Anduin stir and he sat up, blinking in confusion.

"Good morning, your majesty."

"I actually slept," he said in amazement.

"Good," she said and tilted his chin towards her, softly kissing him.

"Taelia..."

She kissed him again, quieting him, and crawled into his lap.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you..." She said between kisses. "It's about my travel plans..."

He gasped as she slid a hand beneath a fold of his robe, pushing it aside so she could kiss down to his shoulder.

"I... uh... don't think this is a good time... ah!" he yelped when she nipped him.

"Weren't you saying just last night there's never a good time on Azeroth...?"

"I meant um... _right_ now, ohh...," he moaned as she sucked a mark on his shoulder. "But, Taelia, please... I don't want to worry about you."

She sighed and crawled off of him, much to his disappointment. "The war is over--"

"The treaty isn't--"

"The war is _over_ , Anduin. You said we'd revisit the topic when the war was over. I want to go before anyone starts saying we need to go public. I can't travel the way I want to if everyone knows I'm the king's soulmate."

He looked away. He didn't want her to go anywhere, not with Sylvanas and N'zoth out there, and not with the possibility that Wrathion might find her if she weren't under the keep's security. However, the guilt about that had been gnawing at him.

She huffed and stood, pulling her robe tighter around her. "I can't stay in Stormwind forever, Anduin. I told you before I came here that I--"

He stood and readjusted his own robe before taking her in his arms. "I know, I'm sorry. What about a trip to Ironforge? Just to tide you over until the treaty is signed?"

"I suppose," she sighed.

He hated seeing her unhappy. All he wanted to do was give her everything she wanted. He needed to figure out a way to do that without putting her in danger, but he wasn't sure how to make her happy and keep Wrathion away from her at the same time.

She pulled out of his arms. "I have morning meetings."

"Taelia..."

"You have them too. I'll see you later."

He watched her go to the door and check for an empty hallway before making her escape.

He sighed and pulled down his robe to look at the mark she left on his shoulder.

"Light dammit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snack chapter today. Meal chapter tomorrow.


	15. Chapter 15

Taelia was out in the morning on one of her expeditions. It was a beautiful day in Stormwind, but she was having trouble enjoying it. The nightmares had only gotten worse, and she was so tired she probably should have stayed in bed. But she hadn't, and now she was walking the streets of Old Town with this weird humming white noise in her head, almost like whispers.

She was in the process of looking for an apothecary who might sell a potion for migraines when she heard the whispers get louder.

 _Turn around. The follower. The one behind you. Turn around_ , the whispers all said at once.

 _Am I really this sleep-deprived?_ she thought as she turned around.

Taelia searched the faces passing by until she met the eyes of a woman staring right at her. Surprise flickered on the woman's face before she turned away, continuing down the street.

 _How long has she been following me?_ Even without the sleep deprivation, Taelia doubted she would have ever noticed. The whispers, or whatever this was in her head, had warned her.

Against her better judgment, Taelia started following the woman who was carrying a crossbow on her back and wore her auburn hair in a ponytail. Her garb suggested she was some sort of adventurer, or perhaps a mercenary, but from the way she had been stalking her, Taelia pegged her for a rogue.

The suspicion was confirmed when the woman slipped into an alley and disappeared.

"HEY! STOP!" Taelia shouted and took off after her.

The woman was fast, and Taelia was at a disadvantage in her armor. Taelia rounded the corner and found herself staring at a fork in the road with no indication of which way to go. _Right right right_ said the whispers. Taelia swung right.

There! She saw the woman disappear into a tailor's shop. Taelia sprinted around behind the building hoping for a back door and was not disappointed. She managed to catch the woman just as she was exiting and tackled her, pinning her hand holding a dagger to the ground.

"Who are you?! Why are you following me?!"

"Calm down, I don't want to hurt you, look--," said the woman and she let go of the dagger, holding her hands open in surrender.

Taelia didn't let up. "Bollocks. Tell me why you were following me."

"I was sent to protect you. If you let me go I will explain further."

 _Lies lies lies_ said the whispers.

"No. Who sent you?"

The woman glared at her. "Let me stand and I will tell you. I would rather not draw the attention we're starting to receive. I promise I will not run."

_Kill. Kill her kill her._

Taelia jerked in shock. Maybe it was time to stop listening to the voices in her head. Her gut was saying this woman meant her no harm. If the woman had wanted to hurt her, she could have done it already.

"Fine. You leave the dagger on the ground though, and hands where I can see them. If you run I'll catch you. I did it once, I can do it again."

The woman gave a curt nod.

Taelia let go and slowly released the woman. They both stood.

The few heads that had turned to see the two women on the ground were now turning away. After all, two adventurers scrapping on the streets was not an uncommon sight.

"Now, I'll ask you once more. Who are you? What do you want?"

The woman looked around carefully before whispering, "My code name is Right. I'm a member of the Blacktalons. I was sent by the Black Prince to watch over you."

"The Black Prince? Who is... oh." _Wrathion._ Taelia shook her head, dumbstruck.

"Can I pick up my dagger now?" asked Right.

Taelia just glared and rubbed her temple. Her head was buzzing, and not just from the angry white noise.

"If he knows who I am, why did he not come himself?"

Right shook her head. "That's not a question I can answer," she said as she sheathed her daggers. "I have a question for you, though."

"What?"

"How did you know I was watching you?"

"...call it a hunch," Taelia said. She felt a sharp pain behind her eyes and winced. It had to be a migraine, she really needed to pick up that potion. First, she needed to talk to Anduin.

"You can stop following me now," ordered Taelia. "Go tell your Black Prince that if he wants me looked after he can do it himself."

Right narrowed her eyes. "I will deliver your message. Am I free to go?"

"Yes."

"Until we next meet," said the rogue, inclining her head before turning and finding the closest alley to slink off into.

* * *

Taelia went straight back to the keep, doing her best to ignore the pounding in her head.

Luckily Anduin was easy to find. He was in his study talking to Jaina.

"Taelia? Is everything all right?" asked Anduin as he stood to greet her.

She glanced apprehensively towards Jaina, but decided the mage might as well know too.

"I just caught a woman stalking me in Old Town. She told me her name was Right, she was a Blacktalon agent, and was sent by a 'Black Prince' to look out for me. I assume that's a name Wrathion uses?"

Anduin's eyes widened then he scowled. "Yes. What happened? Did she get away?"

"No... I let her go actually. I told her to tell him he should come himself. What I don't understand is if he knows who I am then why isn't he here? I don't know how he would have--"

Taelia froze. Behind Anduin, hanging in the air behind his desk, opened a great orange eye just like the one she had seen in her bedroom after her nightmare.

"Anduin, get behind me," she said in a low voice. Taelia reached for her hammer and stepped between the eye and her soulmate.

She heard that deep laughing and the whispers in her head hissed threateningly.

"Taelia? What's the matter?"

She glanced back at him. There was nothing but confusion on his face. She looked over at Jaina who was also looking at her with concern.

"Do you two not see the giant floating eye in the room?!"

Jaina and Anduin exchanged looks.

"...no."

She looked back at it. There was a shooting pain behind her eyes. The whispers were getting louder and more discordant. The purple tendrils around the eye were also growing. She stepped back from it.

Jaina's eyes flashed blue. She looked around the room and looked Taelia up and down. "I don't see anything arcane affecting her. Anduin?"

Anduin reached out a hand, already glowing with healing Light. "Taelia, may I try something?"

She nodded but kept her eyes on the eyeball. "Anduin, hurry it's getting closer."

Taelia felt the tingling warmth of the Light when he put his hand against her temple, but then everything in her head shrieked.

She cried out in pain and dropped her hammer, knees buckling. The last thing she was aware of was Anduin catching her, and the deep laughter before being plunged into a nightmare.

* * *

As soon as she was out of the warrior's sight, Right sprinted to the nearest Blacktalon portal mage. She was almost certain that Taelia was being heavily affected by corruption, and she had to get back as fast as she could to tell the prince.

"She caught you?" he asked in disbelief.

Right nodded. "It was like she knew I was there."

"I'm not sure if I should be disappointed in you or impressed by her. What happened after she caught you?"

"I told her I was sent by you to protect her. She wasn't happy with that. I believe her words were 'if you want her looked after you should do it yourself.'"

The dragon chuckled, "It seems I have two willful soulmates."

"Your highness, she was acting strange. I believe she may be suffering from N'zoth's corruption."

Wrathion tensed. "Everyone is suffering from it to some extent right now."

"This was different, she was obviously tired and in noticeable pain. With her... connections it wouldn't be surprising if N'zoth was affecting her more heavily."

"Very astute observation. I will see what I can do about getting her some protection." He needed to make some for both his soulmates, though he didn't know how he was going to get that past Anduin. He supposed it didn't matter now, Taelia knew he had been watching her. It was only a matter of time before Anduin--

 _WRATHION! Are you there?!_ He heard Anduin's voice in his head. Anduin had used the pendant! He sounded upset.

_Anduin? What's wrong?_

_Come to the keep! It's Taelia! There's something wrong, I think it's N'zoth's corruption, I've tried everything! I can't--_

_I'll be right there._

Wrathion ran as fast as he could to find a portal to Stormwind.

Stepping out of the Stormwind Blacktalon headquarters, he paused in the street, weighing the risk of changing into his dragon form and decided to take it. In a poof of black smoke, he shifted and lept into the air. He darted to the keep in the distance, startling a couple of gryphon riders. Luckily they didn't react very fast to the unexpected sight of a black dragon drake.

Flying over the head of Varian's statue and ignoring the shouts of the guards below, Wrathion brought his wings close to his body, shooting straight into the keep like an arrow, getting as far as the throne room before shifting back into humanoid form.

He focused on the gem he'd given Anduin and took off in the direction of its pull, quickly navigating the halls.

Finally, he burst through the door of Anduin's study to find Jaina and his two soulmates.

His eyes immediately went to Taelia who had been laid on a settee. She was unconscious and convulsing while Anduin tried to hold her head still between Light-filled hands. Purple energy crawled along her skin. Wrathion could practically taste the corruption it was so thick in the air and coalescing around her.

"Wrathion! She started seeing an eyeball that wasn't there and when I tried to use purify she passed out, I think it's the corruption but I can't seem to--"

Wrathion nudged Anduin out of the way and knelt next to Taelia. He held her head between his hands and concentrated on the cleansing spell.

The corruption resisted his attempt, something was fighting him. He looked over her, trying to find the source, and saw the purple energy centralized around her hand.

Wrathion ripped off her glove. As soon as he saw the corrupted ring on her finger, he knew it had to be the source. He pulled it off and threw it on the floor where it bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop.

"Don't touch that!" he commanded before trying the cleansing again.

This time it worked, Taelia's body relaxed, the purple energy disappeared, and the furrow in her brow smoothed. Wrathion continued concentrating until he no longer felt any traces of the void.

* * *

Taelia was trapped in the same nightmare, alone, chained to a frozen floor, and screaming herself hoarse.

This time she could make out what the whispers were saying.

_...Queen in your own right... Power to make things the way you want them to be... Never alone... Save your father... Take his place..._

She resisted and fought and kept screaming... then suddenly, it was over.

She felt big warm hands on either side of her head, soothing the pain.

When Taelia opened her eyes she saw the face of a handsome bearded man above her. Her eyes met his strange red ones, and she felt her wrist heat up and warmth bloom in her chest.

It was him, her other soulmate. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't still seeing things and reached up to touch his face, but he was way too pretty to be part of any nightmare.

"Oh... hi," she murmured.

He smirked and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hello, darling."

She looked over to see Anduin looming behind with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

"What happened?" she asked. Her hands went to Wrathion arms as she used his help to sit up.

"It seems you've been playing with a void corrupted ring, my dear," said Wrathion, nodding to where he threw it on the floor.

"Oh... I guess that'll teach me to pick up strange items off of warlocks."

Wrathion laughed, "You're worse than some of my champions."

Anduin glared at the dragon, then uncrossed his arms and turned his attention to her. "Taelia, how are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Like my head is finally clear, I've been--"

There was a loud clamoring in the hallway and then about five men in armor tried to come through the door at once.

"Your majesty! B-b-black dragon! There's a black dragon in the keep! We need to--"

Anduin interrupted them and took control of the situation. He calmed everyone and explained that his black dragon advisor had made a hasty visit, but everything was fine and the guards could stand down.

"I apologize for the alarm. Jaina, would you be so kind as to explain to these men further? I'd like to speak with the ambassador and my advisor privately."

Jaina looked between the three of them with wary eyes.

"Of course, your majesty," she said finally, and began shepherding the people out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Wrathion stood up and said, "Your guards need to work on their response time," which earned him another unhappy look from the king.

Taelia looked up at Anduin from where she was sitting. While people had been clearing out of the room she had been putting everything together.

"You called him your advisor."

The way Anduin avoided her eyes confirmed her suspicions.

"How long have you been keeping him from me?"

Wrathion reached out, "Taelia--"

"I'll get to you in a second," she snapped. She turned back to the blonde. "How long Anduin?"

"...almost a month."

She looked at the dragon. "And you went along with it?!"

"Taelia, I told him to stay away," said Anduin. "You know what he did. How was I supposed to trust him with you?"

" _Trust him with me?!_ I don't care what he's done, that's not something you get to decide Anduin! He's my soulmate too! I can't believe you thought you could keep us apart!"

Taelia attempted to stand but realized her head was still fuzzier than she thought. She leaned into Wrathion's arms for a moment to avoid falling back onto the seat.

"And you don't get to send people to stalk me either!" she exclaimed before pushing Wrathion away. She grumbled under her breath about _entitled soulmates_ as she walked unsteadily over to the ring on the floor and nudged it with her foot. "What should we do about this?"

Anduin looked to Wrathion who took out a handkerchief and picked the ring up without touching it. "I will take it back to the Chamber of the Heart and have it purified."

She tilted her head, confused.

"It will help in the fight against N'zoth," he explained.

She glared at Anduin, "So he's allowed to fight N'zoth for you, but he can't be near me?"

"I thought it might be a good way for him to prove his trustworthiness," answered Anduin. "I was going to introduce you after he killed N'zoth."

Taelia's mouth fell open. "Kill...? Isn't N'zoth a very powerful old god?! Are you both insane?!"

"No," said Wrathion, "I'm not insane. N'zoth's corruption is what drove my father, Deathwing, insane. I'm trying to prevent that from happening to anyone else, as well as prevent the coming of the Black Empire. It's my duty as a black dragon to do this."

Taelia looked between the two of them, the dragon and the king, and wondered how in the world she'd ended up _here_. Despite the fact that this was the first time in months her head felt clear, she was struggling to wrap her mind around it all. It didn't help that her frustration with Anduin still simmered. She went to her fallen hammer and picked it up, returning it to the holder at her back.

"I... I need some air," she said and began moving towards the door.

Before she could reach it, Anduin caught her by the hand. "Taelia, please... don't go far."

She turned to see his pleading eyes. _Tides damn him,_ she thought.

"Fine," she said before yanking her hand away and exiting the room, slamming the door behind her.

Wrathion raised a brow at his soulmate.

"Taelia tends to... run away when she feels overwhelmed," explained Anduin.

"I see."

"We should give her some time to cool off."

Wrathion stroked his beard. "Where can I find her?"

"Wrathion..."

"What? She's not mad at me."

Anduin huffed. "You sent Right after her! Which, by the way, isn't what you promised me."

"I promised you that I would not seek her out _myself_. Last I checked, Right was not me."

"That's splitting hairs and you know it."

Wrathion sighed, "Anduin, I just wanted her safe, same as you."

He saw Anduin's stubborn demeanor waver. Wrathion took a cautious step towards him.

"Do you really think I'm going to hurt her?"

Anduin looked at him with hurt still in those blue eyes. "No... not on purpose."

"Anduin, I'm not going to make the same mistakes twice. Please... where can I find her?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else pick up a corrupted ring while leveling their first character in Boralus and just put it on like a noob because the item level was higher and you didn't read the big purple item text and then get attacked and die screaming to a floating orange eyeball that none of your friends can see? Anyone?


	16. Chapter 16

Taelia exited Anduin's study to find a conspicuously empty hallway. She supposed they had Jaina to thank for that.

Meandering through the keep, Taelia's feet took her towards the gryphon stables of seemingly of their own accord. She went straight to the stall containing Galeheart's nest, buried her face in the soft feathers at her gryphon's neck, and let out a muffled scream. Cursing Anduin and his eyes, she was also angry at herself for telling him she wouldn't go far when all she wanted to do was saddle-up and take off. Instead, she took off her remaining glove, rolled up her sleeves, and got out a brush to groom Galeheart while she tried to clear her head.

There was so much on her mind, and she didn't know how to feel about any of it.

First was the fact that Anduin had lied to her, and how easily he had done it. She couldn't believe he'd tried to keep Wrathion from her. Again Taelia felt like the jealous teenage girl who ran around Boralus thinking her soulmates were happy without her. She knew that wasn't the case, but that didn't stop her from feeling just as hurt. Obviously, Anduin had done it out of protectiveness and because of his own distrust in their other soulmate, but she had thought Anduin trusted her to protect herself. After all, he'd seen her fight and had offered to help her travel when they first met. Now he saw her as something that needed to be sheltered. His reluctance to talk about her travel plans had made that clear.

Taelia let out another frustrated huff. His secrets must have been why he was so reluctant to talk to her about anything. She thought back to when they fought together, and his own words afterward about how they made a good team. Did he not think she could make a good partner outside of battle as well? Did he not think she could handle it? Why did he always insist on dealing with everything himself?

Then there was Wrathion.

The thought of him brought excited butterflies to her stomach at the same time he made her nervous. Taelia had barely gotten her mind around the fact that she was soulbound to the High King of the Alliance, and now she had another intimidating soulmate to contend with. He had been missing for years, how was she supposed to have been prepared for him coming back now? It was one thing knowing that your soulmate was a black dragon; it was quite another thing to meet him... touch him... and learn that he's attempting to kill an ancient eldritch horror to avenge his entire dragonflight and save the world.

That was the other big thing on her mind. What exactly was being done to fight N'zoth? Was the world truly in so much danger from the coming of this Black Empire? Now that she knew he was the reason why Anduin had been reluctant to talk about it, she resolved to get answers.

Suddenly she felt Galeheart tense beneath her hand and emit a low grumbling noise. Taelia heard the sound of someone clear their throat behind her and turned to find Wrathion standing there.

"I don't want to talk to Anduin," she said, continuing to brush her gryphon.

"It's a good thing he's in the keep then," responded Wrathion.

She stopped brushing and looked at him. "His royal majesty granted you permission to see me? I'm surprised."

Wrathion took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak, but not before Galeheart screamed a warning at him and crouched protectively in front of Taelia, ready to pounce.

"Galeheart, no! Down!" Taelia ordered, as she stepped in front of the gryphon and stared her down until she went back into the nest. "I'm sorry, I've never seen her do that with anyone before."

"I imagine she's never met a dragon before," he said. Taelia noticed he had put a hand on his sword, knees slightly bent in a fighting stance, and wondered if he was conscious of doing it.

"Here, let me try something," said Taelia. "Give me something of yours, that sash maybe."

Wrathion hesitated for a moment, then relaxed and did as he was told. He untied the red sash at his waist and held it out to her. Taelia took off her green scarf and traded him.

"Put that on," she said.

He looked at her in confusion but did as she instructed when he saw what she was doing. Taelia draped his sash over her neck and went to Galeheart, letting the gryphon get used to his scent on her. Next, she went to Wrathion and took his hand, slowly guiding him towards the bird until his hand rested on the gryphon's head without adverse reaction.

"See, Galeheart? He's not so bad," cooed Taelia, as they both petted the feathers. They were close enough she could feel how unnaturally warm he was.

"Hm, I don't know about that," Wrathion chuckled. "Your bird here is either very brave or very stupid to try and shield you from a dragon."

"She's brave, and loyal, and I love her for it." Taelia tilted her head to the side. "Do I need protecting from dragons?"

Wrathion's red gaze met hers, as he took off her scarf and gave it back to her. "Not from this one."

Taelia took it and gave him back his sash.

Then her curiosity got the better of her.

"Hey, come with me," she said and beckoned him to follow her.

"Where are we going?" asked Wrathion as he trailed after her out of the stables.

"Just outside. I want to see how big you are."

Wrathion grinned, "Darling, we could at least have dinner first..."

She rolled her eyes. "Your dragon form, stupid. I want to see it."

He followed her to an empty grassy courtyard used for gryphon training.

"Is this enough space?" asked Taelia.

Wrathion looked around. "Well, yes, but if someone sees and calls the guards--"

"I'll take care of that if they bother us. Now... change," she commanded with an excited smile.

Wrathion smirked and decided he'd be amused by her imperious tone. "As you wish," he said, and with a swirl of magical smoke, transformed into his natural state. He sat on his haunches and raised his head proudly, showing off.

There was a look of awe on Taelia's face at his initial transformation and then she burst out laughing.

"Little mortal," he growled in his deeper voice, annoyed. "What is so amusing?"

"I'm sorry, you just did the exact same thing Galeheart does when she knows people are admiring her," giggled Taelia.

He blew a bit of smoke then laid down, bringing his head closer to her. "I am a _dragon_. Do not compare me to your _oversized chicken_."

"Galeheart is not an oversized chicken! She's my baby, so be nice." Taelia reached out a hand. "Can I touch you?"

If dragons could smirk, he would have. "As much as you want."

She placed her hand on his nose and traced down his snout and over his brow to his horns. He let out a low rumbling.

"Are you... purring?"

"No!"

"Sounds like purring to me... Did you put these gold rings on your horns yourself?"

"...no."

"Where do your clothes go when you change? Are they real?"

"Yes, my clothes are real! It's magic, I just disapparate them away."

She slid her hand down his neck to his shoulder, examined his wings, and fired off more questions.

"How big is your wingspan?"

He extended his wings completely. "I've never measured."

Taelia walked under a wing and looked up at the glimmering surface, noting the differences between his wing and the gryphon wings she was used to studying. She continued circling him.

"If you get hurt like this, does it show up when you shift? What if you get hurt in human form?"

"Depends on the severity... serious injuries would be reflected in both forms. It takes a small amount of energy to maintain my human form. If in extreme pain I would probably revert to this, my natural state."

He turned his head to watch her as she stepped over his tail to walk around his other side.

"If you eat in human form and then switch to this one, would you still be hungry?"

"Yes, whichever form I'm in determines the amount of sustenance I require."

"How long could you stay in human form?"

"I don't know. The longest for me is months, but I know of a dragon who stayed in his elf form for hundreds of years at a time."

"Can you breathe fire?"

"And magma."

She touched the other side of his neck, taking a closer look and the scales. They were almost hot to the touch with a smooth texture. Fascinated by the way they fit together and moved like scale mail armor she'd once seen, Taelia wondered if dragons had been the inspiration.

"How many riders do you think you could you carry? Wait, I know the formula! If I'm estimating your wingspan and length properly... how much do you think you weigh?"

There was another poof of smoke as Wrathion shifted again, standing before her in his human form, grasping the wrist she'd been touching him with.

"Little mortal, if you wish to ride me I'd be happy to arrange that," he said suggestively, "but do not treat me like a common mount."

Taelia blushed. "Sorry, I wasn't... I didn't mean... I was just curious."

"You are a curious thing," he purred. Wrathion turned up her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm. "But I'm curious too. When do I get to examine you?"

On top of the delicious scent of arousal that came pouring off the woman in front of him, suddenly Wrathion sensed the echoes of some strong emotions emanating from the gem he'd given his other soulmate. Wrathion glanced up and spotted Anduin watching them from a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Wrathion focused on the gem and picked up Anduin's tangle of feelings. It was mostly frustration and jealousy, but there was not an insignificant amount of interest aroused in the king as well.

Taelia followed Wrathion's gaze and pulled her hand away quickly when she realized who was watching them. She looked around, making sure no one else had seen either.

She took a deep breath and decided it was in their best interest to ignore Wrathion's insinuations. "Why do you keep calling me mortal? Like you're not?" she asked.

He looked back at her in surprise. "I suppose technically I'm not immortal. Dragons can be killed, but if I am not, I will live significantly longer than you by several times over... would you prefer I not call you that?"

"Yes."

"Very well, I'll save it for when I'm particularly annoyed with you."

Taelia rolled her eyes. They both glanced back up at the balcony and saw that Anduin had gone.

"Don't be angry with him," said Wrathion. "I hurt him, badly."

"He told me what happened," she said. "It sounded to me like you didn't know what the hell you were doing."

Wrathion opened his mouth like he wanted to argue but wisely shut it again and did not say anything.

Taelia smirked at him. "You're not just fighting N'zoth to save the world, are you? You're trying to win him back."

"And you."

"I'm not going to hold Anduin's grudges for him," she said, shaking her head. "That being said, do you know what you're doing now? How exactly are you planning on killing N'zoth?"

Wrathion sighed, "Shooting an ancient titan-forged cannon at him, more or less. Magni and the champions have been working on that. The problem right now is preventing everyone from going insane before we can get close enough to kill him. This is what I've been developing a solution for."

Taelia had many questions. They ended up walking laps around the training grounds as Wrathion explained. It was almost the same speech he gave to Anduin and the other advisors upon his first visit to the keep. Taelia's first-hand experience with corruption made it easier to illustrate how N'zoth affected people's minds. He told her how the old gods existed on a separate plane from Azeroth in a place called Ny'alotha, and N'zoth was trying to remove the veil between the two. The Black Empire was the old god's goal for the world and could currently be seen poking through in places like Uldum and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria. He told her of how the champions had been successful in keeping the empire from spreading further, but Wrathion knew time was running out.

"Stepping into Ny'alotha for even a second is enough to drive most normal people to madness. From my research, I've determined protections should be made from an object of pure corruption. Luckily I know where one of those can be found," explained Wrathion.

"You say luckily, but you don't sound very happy about it. Where is it?"

"Blackwing Descent, the former home of my flight," he said with a note of dread.

Taelia walked beside him in quiet contemplation, gears turning in her head after everything she'd heard. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and asked the first question he didn't know how to answer.

"How can I help?"

Wrathion blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

"What can I do to help you fight N'zoth? Can I go with you to Blackwing Descent? I know Anduin has sent champions with you, some of them are the same ones that helped me in Kul Tiras. I'm just as good as one of them, I'm a warrior, I can fight. Let me help."

Wrathion saw her determination set in and knew he was in trouble. Zoridorma's warnings about being mindful of his soulbonds flashed through his mind as he recalled the unpleasant dressing-down he received from her at Karazhan. Zori had said his bonds were particularly important, and that meant his bond with this fascinating warrior beside him as well as his bond with the king. If he told Taelia she couldn't come with him, he knew it would strain whatever this brand new relationship was. On the other hand, if Taelia went with him, he had a feeling Anduin just might kill him.

He needed to talk her out of this fast.

"Darling, as much as I would love to have you with me, you're an ambassador, aren't you needed here?"

"The Kul Tiran part of the treaty has been done for weeks. Jaina is here now most of the time anyway which makes me superfluous." Taelia began walking towards the keep. "This is a perfect time actually."

"You experienced the nightmares, do you really want to subject yourself to those again? Going to Ny'alotha is sure to be even more harrowing."

She only hesitated a moment. "You just said with the protections it should be possible," she argued. Despite the pain she'd experienced, there was a small part of her that was still curious about what her nightmares and whispers had told her. "You've got that corruption cleansing spell anyway. You wouldn't let me get so bad again. And I promise not to wear any strange gear."

"Well... wouldn't you rather stay here in the keep? Is Anduin not giving you the royal treatment?" he asked with a weak laugh. "The Heart Chamber and the Blacktalon headquarters don't exactly have the nicest accommodations. Don't you like it here?"

Taelia snorted, "Please! I'm a soldier, I don't mind living rough for a while. This sounds exactly like the kind of adventure I've been waiting for!"

They made it inside the keep. She was walking faster now, only getting more excited at the prospect of leaving. He followed her until they made it to the residential wing to what he assumed was her room. Wrathion was starting to panic, the more he talked the more she seemed to want to go.

"Taelia, Taelia... please, have you seen the hunk of metal hanging up on the other side of Stormwind Lake? That's _my father's jaw_ and that's where Anduin is going to mount my head after he blames me for talking you into this!"

Taelia wrinkled her nose. "Well... I'm not going to let him do that. I'll tell him it's my idea."

"He's not going to believe you!"

"He will once he sees how much you're fretting about it. Now tell me what I need to pack."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrathion/Taelia is surprisingly fun to write.


	17. Chapter 17

Anduin watched in awe as Wrathion transformed for Taelia. There was an odd feeling in his chest he couldn't identify as he observed her circling the magnificent black drake Wrathion had grown into over the years. The dragon's form was now a far cry from the funny little whelp Anduin remembered.

Anduin wished he could hear what they were saying. From the way Taelia was poking at him, Anduin was sure she was asking Wrathion all sorts of questions. He was amazed by the patience Wrathion was demonstrating.

 _Maybe he has changed_ , thought Anduin. The Wrathion he knew would have never tolerated such prodding from a human.

Finally, something she said seemed to get to the dragon as Anduin watched Wrathion shift back to human form.

Anduin froze, gripping the railing of the balcony when he saw Wrathion kiss her hand, giving her an absolutely sinful look.

_What does he think he's doing?!_

The odd feeling in Anduin's chest increased tenfold as he recognized it for what it was... jealousy. But... which one was he jealous of? He wanted to be the one causing Taelia that blush, at the same time he desired to be the one receiving that look from Wrathion.

His breath hitched as he looked at them for the first time together and realized he wanted them both.

At that moment, Wrathion looked up with surprise on his face, startling Anduin. How did Wrathion know he was even there? Anduin turned away after he saw Taelia pull her hand out of Wrathion's.

Anduin stormed back inside, fuming.

He had no idea why he was angry, he knew he had no right to be upset. They were soulmates, of course they were going to be attracted to each other.

 _Why do I feel like this?_ Anduin walked to his room and began pacing. _It's not that I don't want them together... it's the fact that I'm here and they're out there... And what's stopping me from being with them?_ He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror on the wall. _It's me. I'm the one I should be upset with._

Anduin recognized that most of the current strife in their relationship was the direct result of his choices. He was the one who hid Wrathion and lied to Taelia. He was the one who was still holding Wrathion's mistakes over his head. As a priest, Anduin knew he should be ashamed of himself for still not forgiving Wrathion even after he'd apologized and seemed to be trying to make amends.

Why was he so reluctant to forgive Wrathion when forgiveness was something he granted so easily to everyone else? Was he really so afraid of getting hurt again?

Anduin shook his head, trying to rationalize the thought away. If he was afraid of getting hurt, he would have had a difficult time letting Taelia in.

_But... I haven't let Taelia in, have I?_

Sure, he'd fallen for her, he'd _almost_ crossed the line with her, but he hadn't made any moves to get closer to her since the night they snuck out. Not to mention sneaking out to have a date had been her idea. He thought he had been ready that night, but if he were being honest with himself, there had been a small part of him that was relieved Valeera had interrupted them.

If he were _really_ being honest with himself, he had kept Taelia at arm's length ever since that night and used the war as an excuse. After all, he was the king. Her room was right down the hall. He could have talked to her, gotten closer to her, let her in anytime he wanted, but he hadn't.

The truth was he was afraid.

Anduin found himself wandering from his room into the queen's suite. He went to the shelf and pulled out the journal his mother had written during her nineteenth year, the same age he was now. He'd read it several times. It happened to be the same year his parents had met.

"How did you do it mom?" Anduin murmured to himself. How had his parents managed to be together and make it look so easy? He could argue that he had it twice as hard with two soulmates, but clearly, he struggled with having even one. It seemed like soulbonds were so fragile, how in the world was he supposed to make this work? He didn't want their story to end in a tragedy; he didn't want them to end up like Jaina or any of the other awful stories he'd heard.

Anduin thought about how his mother had reacted the first time she'd seen his father. She hadn't even known for certain that they were soulmates, but she had gone out and gotten him anyway. She had made it happen. Anduin decided if he wanted things to be right with his soulmates, he was the one who needed to make it happen. The only question was could he overcome his fears? There was only one way to find out, and the least he could do was start by talking to them.

He began to open the door but paused when he heard both his soulmates voices coming from the direction of Taelia's room. It sounded like they were arguing.

"...if you're not going to help, then move."

"I am helping, I'm trying to--"

"Continuing to try and talk me out of this is _not_ helping, Wrathion! Just... go stand over there."

Anduin heard sounds of Taelia rummaging around in her room as he approached. Standing in the doorway he took in the sight of both his soulmates. Wrathion was going through her closet making judgemental faces at her dresses. Taelia was sitting crossed-legged on the floor with a backpack, her things scattered all around.

"What are you doing?"

Taelia looked up at Anduin's question and rose from the floor.

The warrior squared her shoulders, raised her chin, and declared, "Anduin, I'm going with Wrathion to help him fight N'zoth."

It hit him like a blow to the stomach, all the air left his lungs and his mouth hung open in shock. He tried to make himself say something, anything that would make this better but found no words. It was too late. She was leaving. They were leaving.

There was a long moment of silence as Wrathion looked warily between them.

Taelia was the first to break the silence. She explained her reasoning, something about wanting to go where she was needed and not being needed at the keep, but Anduin only caught a few words of it. He was too stunned.

"Excuse me," he mumbled and retreated back down the hall to his room in a daze. He didn't realize Wrathion had followed him until the dragon slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Look, I know you're upset, but could punch the other cheek this time? For symmetry?"

Anduin blinked and turned to the dragon, "I'm not going to hit you, Wrathion. This... is my fault."

Wrathion peered down at Anduin's clenched fists, then returned his gaze cautiously. "...not that I'm complaining, but... how exactly is this your fault?"

"I knew she wasn't happy here. She wanted to leave. I knew that and I tried to keep her here anyway. And for what? I haven't done anything to make her _want_ to stay... all I've done is lie to her," he choked out, his heart clenching in his chest.

Wrathion sighed, "Anduin..."

"She's leaving me," Anduin whispered. "Another soulmate is leaving me."

Wrathion's eyes flashed and he crossed the room, taking Anduin by the arms. "No, it's not like that. It will never be like that again, Anduin."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," responded Anduin impassively. He felt numb, not even Wrathion's grasp on his arms could break him out of it.

"Dammit Anduin! Is it really going to take the death of an old god for you to believe me?"

He tried to pull away, but Wrathion refused to let him go.

Wrathion took a deep breath, "Listen to me, she's not leaving you. I promise you Anduin Wrynn, I will do everything in my power to make sure she comes back to you. You're not losing her, and you didn't lose me. If I have to spend the rest of your days convincing you of that, then so be it."

* * *

Taelia kept packing after her soulmates left her room. Anduin hadn't argued or tried to stop her like she had expected him to, but she wasn't going to wait for that to change.

She packed light. She knew they'd be spending a lot of time in the desert so she brought only her essential gear. Most of her clothes were too heavy or fancy, and she would need to get some different ones better suited for the warmer climates. She hoped Wrathion would be able to help with that and other supplies.

Opening her drawer of underthings, she grabbed the necessary ones... then her eyes landed on the corner where she kept her fancier intimates.

 _Doesn't take up much space. No one has to know..._ She added a couple of lacy things to the stack and shoved it to the bottom of her bag.

While she packed, Taelia debated about trying to ship Galeheart to Uldum, but decided it would be too much of an expense and hassle. It pained her to leave Galeheart behind, but she knew the bird would be well cared for in the royal gryphon stables. Galeheart hated sand in her feathers anyway.

Next, she wrote notes to Jaina, preparing to leave the ambassadorship. Taelia knew she probably ought to tell Jaina in person, but was afraid the mage would actually be able to talk her out of leaving. She also wrote a letter to Flynn and one to Cyrus letting them know where she was going.

She was busy writing her resignation letter when Wrathion reappeared.

He picked up the ambassador's seal from her desk and toyed with it. "Darling, are you sure Anduin doesn't need you here?"

"Need me? No, if anything I'm just a distraction for him," she said without looking up from her writing, missing the skeptical look on his face.

Finishing her letter she signed it, pulled the seal from Wrathion's fingers, pressed it into the soft wax, and stood up.

"I think I've done everything. Are you ready to leave now?" she asked him.

"I am if you are."

She took a deep breath. "Time to tell Anduin."

Taking the stack of papers, they went to his room and walked in to find him looking out his window.

She walked over and set the papers on his writing desk.

"If you could make sure Jaina and the others get these, I'd appreciate it."

"I will," he said without turning around.

Taelia glanced at Wrathion who just shrugged.

"Anduin... I want you to know I'm not leaving because I'm upset with you. My soulmate has an impossible task before him. I just want to help."

Anduin kept his back to them and didn't say anything.

She approached and lightly touched his arm, making him turn towards her. The sight of his tear-streaked face nearly broke her heart.

She wiped his tears and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, Anduin. Take care of my baby for me while I'm gone. I'll be back soon."

Wrathion watched them with calculating eyes. He stepped closer to Anduin as Taelia stepped away and said softly, "You have the pendant. Use it."

Anduin gave him a short nod.

"Light be with you both," he murmured as they left him there alone with nothing but his thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

"So... where exactly is Blackwing Descent and how are we getting there?" asked Taelia.

"It's only a short flight north of here in the Burning Steppes. It seems that you will get your chance to ride a dragon sooner than expected, my dear," replied Wrathion, amused by the excited bounce in her step. Despite her previous sleep deprivation, his soulmate didn't seem to have any lack of energy. The cup of coffee she snagged from the kitchens was probably helping.

Thanks to Taelia's experience sneaking out, they had managed to escape the keep without much notice and walked out of the Dwarven District towards the Stormwind Embassy and the lake. Wrathion led them to a quiet wooded area so that he could transform and fly off without startling any more city guards. No need to make things any harder for Anduin.

"I warn you, this will not be like riding your chicken. There's not a dragon on Azeroth who would agree to be saddled. You will have to hold tight to my scales. Luckily we do not have far to go."

"...not a chicken," mumbled Taelia under her breath.

"But first," continued Wrathion, "I have something for you." He pulled a pendant identical to the one he'd given Anduin from his pocket and held it out to her.

"This isn't going to make me see void aberrations is it?" she asked as she took the necklace, inspecting it in her hand.

He chuckled, "No, wearing that will allow us to telepathically communicate with each other."

"Cool trick," she said as she slipped it over her head.

"Keep it safe. It's imbued with magic that could be used to bring me great harm."

Taelia nodded and slipped it under her shirt and breastplate out of sight. She was surprised he would trust her with such an artifact so soon after meeting her.

With that done, he stood back and transformed, pleased by the wide smile it brought to her face. He directed her on how to best get on and grab the scales.

"Let me know if you feel like you're slipping or need me to stop. Are you ready?" asked Wrathion.

"Yes!"

Taelia thought she knew what riding a dragon would be like. She assumed it wouldn't be different from riding a gryphon. She was wrong. Riding Wrathion was so much more thrilling.

Where gryphons usually took a running leap, Wrathion launched straight into the air with a powerful jump that made her stomach drop. Taelia let out a surprised squeak as they took off, and held on tight. Riding without a saddle was a little terrifying, but it was not as hard to hold on as she had expected. Wrathion seemed to be flying high, gliding to reduce his flapping and avoid jostling her.

She could tell he was flying slower and easier than normal, mindful of his passenger. Fortunately, her skills as a gryphon rider did carry over. She knew to do things like shift her weight in turns and how to keep her seat during turbulence.

Quiet during most of the flight, Wrathion was just trying not to focus on the feeling of strong thighs wrapped around his neck.

Taelia enjoyed the views flying over the mountains surrounding Stormwind immensely. However, the temperature increase was extremely noticeable the closer they got to the Burning Steppes. Taelia was thankful for the wind whistling past as they flew since she was discovering how aptly named the zone was. Even at their altitude, the air was hot. Below them looked like a pit of scorched dirt and lava surrounding the dark jutting mountain she could only assume was Blackrock.

Wrathion flew them straight towards it. Taelia noticed the mountain's steep faces and boiling lava flows and realized how ideal this place must have been for the lair of black dragons. It looked like the upper grand balcony they were approaching was only accessible by flight.

Wrathion landed on the stone balcony. It appeared as if it had been very fine at one time, intricately carved into the mountain, but was now crumbling into disrepair.

Wrathion waited until Taelia had dismounted to shift back into human form. She took a moment to shake out her legs from the flight.

"You sure I can't bribe you into a saddle?" asked Taelia with a sly smile.

Wrathion gave her an unamused look and jerked his head in the direction of the entrance. "Come, we should find my agent nearby."

"So what exactly are we looking-- oh no, Wrathion look!"

Together they came upon the figure of an elf lying on the ground. Taelia could only assume it was the Blacktalon agent. Wrathion darted to the man and knelt, checking for any sign of life.

He shook his head. "It seems N'zoth is one step ahead of us."

"I'm sorry, Wrathion. Did you know him?"

"I know them all," said Wrathion, mouth pressed into an angry line. He checked the inside of the agent's cloak and ripped out the Blacktalon badge woven into it. He pocketed it and stood. "Grief will have to wait. For now, we press on."

They both drew their weapons and walked in silence through the busted-open iron doors and into a long hallway. Taelia could hear the faint rumbling sound of the volcano and saw a haze of smog in the air. The heat was oppressive, but not unbearable, causing her to sweat. Wrathion seemed enviably unbothered by the temperature.

Up ahead was an archway that opened into the main cavern.

Suddenly Wrathion put out a hand to stop her.

"N'zoth's followers ahead," whispered Wrathion. "I think there's two of them, one on either side of the opening. Probably sentries. I have a plan, we should--"

Before he could finish speaking, Taelia charged off, dragging her warhammer along as it bumped across the stones, fracturing their surfaces and echoing in the hall. She slid through the archway into the cavern, planted her heel, spun around, and used the momentum of the turn to bring her great hammer smashing into the head of the surprised cultists on the left. Wrathion winced at the reverberation of the crack.

"I guess we're done sneaking," he said to himself and started running towards the fight. He began intoning a spell and held it, waiting for a line of sight on an enemy.

The surprised cultists on the right unsheathed a wickedly jagged dagger and brandished it. Taelia tried pulling out her warhammer lodged in the wall, but it wouldn't budge.

The cultist lunged at Taelia with the dagger. She immediately let go of the hammer and dodged the stab, but the cultist uttered something incomprehensible and fired a bolt of shadow from his hand, grazing her midsection.

He attempted another swipe with the dagger, but Taelia caught the cultist's wrist and snapped it with a flick. She kicked him squarely in the chest, and knocked him prone, his dagger skittering off a few feet away.

By the time Wrathion made it to her, Taelia had already yanked the hammer out of the wall, bringing it down in an arc on the skull of the cultist.

Wrathion stared at her as she stepped back and pulled out a cloth to wipe at the wound on her side.

"Aggressive negotiating strategy. I can see why they made you ambassador."

Taelia rolled her eyes, "Just thinking about a few nobles." She decided the wound wasn't worth bandaging and hefted her hammer onto her shoulder. "I haven't had a good fight since before the war ended. I got a little carried away."

"Very... impressive," admitted Wrathion before clearing his throat, "Come, we must be vigilant. It looks like N'zoth's forces have taken over this lair. Are you fine to continue? The corruption was affecting you heavily..."

"Your spell took care of the headache. Exhaustion is nothing the coffee didn't fix!" she chirped, not wanting to get left behind. She could tell Wrathion's suave and cocky demeanor was subdued. In this place, amongst the ruins of where his corrupted kin used to reside, he almost seemed... nervous.

They continued onward, finding an elevator that looked out over the large circular cavern. In the center of the room was a pool of lava which seemed to be the source of all the heat. Two terraces surrounded the edges of the room. The elevator took them down to the uppermost terrace.

The sight that greeted them at the bottom of the elevator was not a pleasant one.

Laying on the ground was what looked to be a very unhealthy dragon on the verge of death. Even Taelia could tell there was something wrong with it. It had collapsed and was struggling to breathe. It barely had the strength to lift its head as they approached. As Wrathion inspected the poor creature, Taelia walked in a bit further to investigate the other shapes she saw lying on the floor.

When Wrathion heard her cry out in shock he went to her immediately, finding her crouched on the floor, cradling the head of a dead whelp. Nearby were two more whelp corpses.

"Wrathion... the babies..."

His fists clenched. "The suffering they inflict upon these dragons..." Wrathion trailed off, too angry to finish. "The cultists must have repurposed the alchemy labs to experiment on those whelps. They must intend on reviving Nefarian's experiments. We need to stop them."

Taelia just nodded, deciding to save her questions for later. She had no idea who Nefarian was, and had no context for the experimentation that had been happening in this mountain, but she was prepared to do anything to help him stop the suffering of these dragons.

They went in further to the edge of the terrace, looking out over the pool of lava. From an opening on the other side of the cavern, a dark hooded figure of a woman emerged.

"Ah, the infamous Black Prince. Such an honor to finally meet you," echoed her voice from across the chamber.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" shouted Wrathion.

"I am Inquisitor Xanesh," laughed the woman. "Behold the work of your fallen kin. Fear not... his efforts will not go to waste."

With that, she turned and disappeared back through the entrance from whence she came. A dark swirling barrier shimmered up behind her.

"We need to get over there. Let's take out as many of these researchers as we can on the way," said Wrathion to Taelia. She nodded, but there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. This was starting to feel more and more like a trap. She braced for a fight as they began making their way around to the other side of the cavern.

A trio of surprised cultists emerged from one of the side rooms. Taelia saw Wrathion draw a dagger and vanish into the shadows. She prepared to charge at the cultists, but suddenly Wrathion reappeared, plunging the dagger into one of the cultist's neck. The blow knocked him into the second enemy who received Wrathion's fiery sword to the chest. The third cultist screamed a dark spell at the Black Prince, but he vanished again in a cloud of ash and Taelia couldn't tell if the void bolt landed. A split second later, the cultist was engulfed in a pillar of flame and fell as Wrathion emerged from the smoke unscathed.

Taelia snapped back to attention as she ducked to avoid a bolt from another cultist ahead. The caster was near a giant writhing dragon, probably one of the older experiments, bound in heavy chains. Another hooded figure beside it had his hands outstretched, a tendril of void energy streaming from the creature. Whether they were trying to subdue the creature or enrage it, Taelia couldn't tell, but it looked fighting mad.

"Get to that magic wall thing! I'll be right behind you!" shouted Taelia. She didn't wait to see if Wrathion heeded her advice before she charged at the cultists with a shout.

She rammed into the one who had shot the bolt at her with her shoulder, knocking him to the ground before she swung at the one holding the dragon experiment under his thrall. The void energy faded from his hands as she knocked him aside. She used the opening to get right next to the dragon's maw. Lifting her hammer high, she brought it down, breaking the link in the chain anchoring the dragon to the wall, freeing it.

The mutated dragon roared and slashed at the cultists with no regard for his rescuer either, one talon caught Taelia's right arm, making a gash. She rolled out of the way as the beast took off and began burning the other cultists in her path. As it flew away, darting up and out of sight, Taelia rushed towards Wrathion who had already begun casting an incantation to take the barrier down.

On the stairs below the entrance, a void rift opened, and another group of enemies emerged.

"Behind you!" shouted Taelia, but not before one of them shot a void bolt, causing a gash in Wrathion's shoulder.

He cried out in pain, but ignored them and kept his focus on breaking the magical matrix, trusting Taelia to deal with the distractions. And deal with them she did. Swinging her hammer wildly, she made short work of the intruders, managing to keep their focus on her while Wrathion cast his spell.

He mumbled, "I nearly have it... just another-- There."

The purple energy of the gate dissipated as they darted through the entrance and around a corner into a vaulted hall. Waiting for them there was the Inquisitor Xanesh woman, along with two cultists holding the chains of the dragon Taelia had just released. It was now oddly quiet and subdued.

They looked up at the sound of flapping wings to see the incoming of a different dragon, this one the bluish-purple color of the void and much more dangerous-looking.

"Vexiona," whispered Wrathion. From his tone, Taelia guessed that this dragon's presence was not good.

"At last, the Black Prince graces us with his presence," taunted the inquisitor as the void-colored dragon landed behind her.

"What child's play to lure you here," laughed Vexiona, confirming Taelia's suspicions that this entire set-up was a trap. "This tiresome obsession with your dragonflight's legacy will be your undoing. The black dragonflight was unworthy of the master's gifts. But you can still be of use to him. Using your essence, we will raise Nefarian and Onyxia to serve N'Zoth. In the master's name, their wings will darken the skies once more!" The dragon swung her large head towards Xanesh. "Begin the ritual. The master has summoned me to Ny'alotha. Our lesser creation can slay the prince's companion."

Taelia had no time to even try and understand the dragon's monologue before she disappeared into a large void portal and Xaneth raised a hand to cast a spell. A void tendril shot out from the inquisitor's hand, wrapping around Wrathion's neck.

"I will see you burn for this!" shouted Wrathion as he struggled against it.

"Your father proved incapable of resisting the Old Gods, little whelp. Such hubris to think you would fare any better!" said Xanesh. "Don't worry about your little mortal snack, our experiment will take good care of her."

"No!" shouted Wrathion, before being dragged back out to the main chamber.

"Wrathion!" yelled Taelia.

Before she could try to follow, the cultists released the experimental dragon's chains and prodded it towards her. It slashed out with a claw and she rolled again to avoid it, surprised that the creature she just freed now attacked her with such ferocity. She tried swinging at it, but before she could land a blow it leapt up and hovered in the air.

It circled around and poised its talons for another attack. _What happened to this dragon?_ thought Taelia. She glanced at its eyes which were clouded with swirling darkness similar to the void energy summoned by the cultists. _Madness._ There was no way she could cure the dragon, but there was no way she could take on the beast alone. But... she just had to. It was standing between her and her soulmate. 

Taelia got back on her feet as the dragon approached again, it's chest filling with glowing energy. _Run!_ She darted behind the nearest pillar right before the creature spewed massive red flames mixed with an insidious purple tint.

After the barrage, Taelia peeked around the pillar and examined the creature, looking for any way to get the upper hand. She noticed spears protruding from the dragon's torso. _If I could only get close enough... I've ridden a dragon before..._ she shook her head at the insane thought. _No, too dangerous._ She heard a boom as the pillar beside the one she was hiding behind crumbled from a whack of the dragon's tail. It was toying with her now. _I can't keep running._

Taelia took a deep breath, clutching her warhammer tighter, and charged towards the dragon. She slammed her weapon down on the dragon's claw, causing it to roar in pain. It's other claw slashed towards her, raking three deep gashes in her back. She screamed, but refused to fall, adrenaline pushing her to carry out her plan. She grabbed one of the spears in the side of the dragon's neck and jumped, using it to swing up onto the dragon's back.

* * *

Wrathion struggled as hard as he could, but nothing could loosen the grip around his neck. He hung suspended in the center of the cavern, below him the pit of lava. Void tendrils kept him anchored to the platform where Xanesh stood casting her ritual. Below the lava he knew were the hidden remains of his half-siblings, Nefarian and Onyxia. He could feel Xanesh's spell draining him, directing his inherent magic into whatever foul necromancy she sought to raise them with.

He struggled harder when he heard Taelia's scream and the dragon experiment's howl. The promise he made to Anduin echoed in his head. _I will do everything in my power to make sure she comes back to you._ He was _not_ going to lose a soulmate the same day he met her. He tried to morph into dragon form but whatever magic was keeping him chained was also keeping him from shifting. He was helpless.

Suddenly a crack sundered the wall behind Xanesh. With a thundering crash, the dragon experiment burst through with Taelia clinging to its back. The damage caused a disruption in Xanesh's cast and the anchors holding Wrathion, allowing him to finally break free and morph into his natural form.

"Enough, Xanesh! You cannot break me like you broke my father! The black dragonflight will purge your master from Azeroth!" he boomed before breathing a bout of flame at the inquisitor.

The flames did not touch her, Xanesh raised her hand, a magical shield forming around her. "Impudent dragon. All of your kind will bow before N'zoth!"

Wrathion might have been able to stop her from disappearing into the void portal, but he instead turned to chase the insane dragon experiment which his soulmate was holding onto for dear life.

He saw Taelia pull out a dagger and plunge it into the spine of the experiment, finally causing it to shriek one last time and crash into the side of the cavern, destroying a few large stone pillars. He could do nothing but watch in horror as the stone was reduced to a pile of rubble, dust flying up, obscuring Taelia and the beast from his sight.

"TAELIA! Taelia, no no no...," Wrathion landed near the crater and shoved the body of the experiment aside. He flung chunks of stone left and right until he found Taelia, bruised and bleeding, but breathing.

She coughed from all the dust and let out a quiet, "Ow."

He transformed back into human form and took her into his arms.

"What is wrong with you?! You're insane, why did you do that?! You could have died!"

"Ah! Wrathion, don't squeeze so tight... I'm fine! Just a little battered... had to save you..."

"You're not allowed to ride any dragons that aren't me!"

She chuckled weakly, with a hand on her bruised ribs as Wrathion fussed over her. "I'm okay Wrathion! I've had worse." She gave him a once-over, making sure he was okay as well. "Are you all right? Here, let me look at that gash."

Reaching up, she lightly touched the wound on his shoulder, causing him to hiss in pain, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I know basic first-aid!"

"My dear, I think we need a healer."

Their eyes met as Wrathion realized what he'd said.

"Ha! A healer! Ow...," laughed Taelia, clutching her side. She took a slow painful breath. "I do miss our healer."

Wrathion gave her a sad smile. "Come, let's get what we came for and leave this cursed place. The sooner we return to the Heart Chamber, the sooner I can begin crafting protections, and the sooner we can put an end to this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Wrathion is some special mix of mage/rogue + dragon powers. Poor tank/DPS pairs, they always start out so strong and come out very bloody by the end of things.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed a hacked-up version of [this in-game scenario.](https://wow.gamepedia.com/Beginning_the_Descent) Thank you to my husband who beta-read like usual and also helped write the fights.
> 
> To answer the question I got about the posting schedule: I've been trying to put up about a chapter a week, but I make no promises. Sometimes I do more than one chapter a week, in the future it might be less. (Once Shadowlands hits, definitely expect it to be less.)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

A couple of hours after his soulmates left, Anduin made himself leave his room.

Forcing himself to be king when all he felt like doing was mourning his losses was something he was used to.

He picked up the stack of papers Taelia left and took them to his study.

Jaina was already there waiting for him, anxious to know what had happened between the three of them after she'd left. She guessed from the way Anduin trudged into the room that it hadn't gone well.

"Where did--?"

Anduin took a shaking breath. "They left."

"What?! Taelia left?"

Anduin handed her the papers. "She told me to give these to you."

Jaina took the resignation letter from the top and opened it first, skimming its contents. "I don't understand."

Anduin went to his chair and sat down, putting his head in his hands.

"Jaina, I messed up." He proceeded to tell her everything, spilling the details of how Wrathion had been back for a month and how he'd kept his soulmates apart. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to ask you to lie to her too."

"Oh, Anduin..."

"Now that the war is over and the Kul Tiran part of the treaty is completed, she said she didn't feel useful here. She said she wanted to help him fight N'zoth."

"And you... let her go?"

"How could I have stopped her, Jaina? She told me before she came that she would only stay as long as the war was happening. I just never expected _him_ to show up and give her a reason to leave so soon."

"Will she be safe with him?"

Anduin nodded. "I think so. He seems... different, I will admit."

Jaina frowned and looked down at the papers in her hands. "Taelia is a smart girl and a good warrior, and they will be with Magni. I'm sure she will be all right, but... will you?"

Anduin fixed his eyes on his hands folded on the desk. "I'll be fine."

"Anduin... I would like to remind you that I _am_ a mage. If you ever need a discreet portal... perhaps to Uldum..."

Anduin looked up, surprised. "Thank you, but I don't think that will be necessary."

Jaina sighed, "Please tell me if I can help, Anduin. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

* * *

After Wrathion gathered the corrupted scales from the remains of Nefarian and Onyxia and destroyed the rest, he and Taelia flew away from Blackrock Mountain. On their way out, Wrathion explained more about the twisted history of the black dragonflight and answered her questions about his relations to the dragons whose remains he'd just incinerated. 

Finding one of Wrathion's Blacktalon agents who could portal them to Silithus was difficult, but they managed to do it before nightfall.

Taelia was not prepared for the sight that greeted her when she stepped out of the portal.

She had heard of the giant sword driven into the planet, plenty of adventurers had described it to her, but nothing compared to standing in its shadow. Looking up and up, it never seemed to end. The feeling of dread that washed over her left her frozen to the place where she stood. She couldn't remember ever feeling so small.

Wrathion came up and stood silently beside her.

"How are we ever going to get that out?" she whispered.

"That," said the dragon, "is a very good question."

Wrathion had seen the sword so many times, Taelia's reaction made him scared of how desensitized to it he had gotten. He took a deep breath. "Come, the device that will transport us to the heart compound is this way."

He noticed the couple steps she took were careful, trying to hide a limp, so he scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way, ignoring her protests.

"You're hurt, let me take care of you."

"You're hurt too," she grumbled but wrapped her arms around his neck anyway.

"I'm a dragon. I heal faster."

He took her to the titan translocator and stepped onto it. In a flash, they were both in the antechamber. Through a huge archway, she could see the main Chamber of the Heart. Several champions were standing around a device in the floor. What looked to be a giant robot woman was working with them. Races from all over Azeroth were well represented, everyone working towards the common goal of healing the world and fighting N'zoth.

Wrathion turned around and began carrying her away through a different set of doors, but they did not escape the notice of certain people in the chamber. Taelia did a double-take as what appeared to be a crystal dwarf followed them.

"Lad! You've returned! Er... Who's this then?"

Wrathion kept carrying her further into the compound as he greeted the dwarf, "Speaker Magni, this is Ambassador Taelia Fordragon. She aided me in gathering the resources I need to make the protections we discussed. She's decided to join our cause."

"Hello," she said, feeling awkward about meeting the Speaker for Azeroth while being princess-carried by her soulmate.

Magni nodded his crystal head. "Welcome, lass. It's nice ta meet ye. It looks ta me like yer in need of some healin'. Don't worry, we'll take care of ye."

There was more to the compound than just the Chamber of the Heart. The facility they were walking through was so big she couldn't believe it all was underground. They passed through many hallways down which she spied barracks, an armory, mess hall, and eventually a medical ward which was their destination. As she was getting patched up by a druid, Wrathion explained that the heart compound was being used by his Blacktalons as a temporary base of operations while preparing to assault Ny'alotha. Rooms had been made available to the champions who frequented the heart chamber, but due to the high tension between Horde and Alliance, not many stayed long enough to make use of them. After the healer was done and Taelia convinced Wrathion that she could walk on her own, he showed her to one of those rooms.

"I thought you said you didn't have the nicest accommodations," said Taelia, eyeing the cot and the bathroom.

"Compared to a king's suite we don't," said Wrathion with a grin.

Taelia rolled her eyes and didn't respond. She was just thankful she wouldn't be sleeping on the ground and could bathe after such a long day. _Maybe living like a noble has spoiled me a little..._

She barely noticed Wrathion bid her goodnight and leave. It was all she could do to get out of her armor and wash off the blood, sweat, and dirt before she collapsed into the cot and fell asleep.

* * *

Wrathion closed the door to Taelia's room only to find Right standing behind him in the hall, smirking at him.

He ignored his bodyguard and began making his way back to the Chamber of the Heart. She followed.

"Seems like things went well," said Right.

Wrathion kept walking.

"Princess running away with the dragon is an unusual twist to the fairytale. How did the king take it?"

"Isn't there something else you should be doing?"

"It's my job to guard you, your highness. And look! Here you are!" Right gestured to him. "Now, I want details. I'm guessing the plan to win back his majesty isn't going well? Are you switching focus? You fell in love with the girl at first sight, didn't you? She's just your type: pretty, reckless, optimistic to a fault--"

"Last I checked, your contract did not say anything about meddling in my personal affairs."

"You meddle in mine, it's only fair. And I think your personal life does become relevant to my contract if Lion-Boy tries to rip your head off for bedding his future queen."

Wrathion stopped short at the entrance of the heart chamber. "What's this? A room with only one exit? Perhaps my bodyguard should stand here while I have a conversation with Spiritwalker Ebonhorn."

Right just rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, watching Wrathion march off in the direction of the tauren on the edge of the room. The tauren, who was actually a black dragon by the name of Ebyssian, raised his large head as Wrathion approached.

"Brother, it is good to see you have returned. The champions have been asking after you all day."

"I wanted to tell you I was successful in retrieving the corrupted scales from Blackwing Descent," explained Wrathion. He described to Ebyssian what he'd found in the mountain, and expressed his intention to go back and purge the old lair of anything that might be used again for nefarious purposes. "Once the trouble with N'zoth is over of course."

"Certainly," rumbled the other dragon. After a moment he asked, "Who was the woman you were carrying? You seemed rather... close."

"Not you too," mumbled Wrathion under his breath. Then, just loud enough so only the tauren could hear he said, "Her name is Taelia. She's one of my soulmates, 'Byss. I met her today."

Ebyssian raised his eyebrows. "Congratulations, brother. She is mortal I assume?"

Wrathion nodded. "Have you ever had a soulmate?"

"Yes, once. A few thousand years ago I was mated to a tauren shaman from Highmountain. She was one of the few who knew my true self."

"How long were you together?"

"We had almost a century together," answered Ebyssian. The tauren noticed Wrathion's frown and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Do not look so downtrodden. The love you share with your mates is worth the pain after they are gone. My mate's memory lives on with me."

Wrathion listened to his brother's words with conflicted feelings. He was still coming to terms with the fact that he would outlive both the humans he was soulbound to.

After a few moments, he asked the other question that had plagued him about the relationships between dragons and mortals. "If you don't mind me asking, did the two of you never... make a family together?"

The tauren gave a deep chuckle. "The Highmountain tribe was our family. She did not wish to have children, and I did not press. Given the circumstances of my hatching, we also did not think it was wise to risk the corruption of any potential half-dragons."

Wrathion nodded. "Do you know... I mean, do you think... is it even possible?"

"I do not know. I am not the right dragon to ask," grunted the tauren.

"Who then?" asked Wrathion, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"Alexstrasza."

* * *

The next morning Taelia awoke feeling well-rested after the first dreamless sleep she'd had in months. She put on her gear and ventured out of her room and into the Chamber of the Heart, looking for Wrathion. She didn't find him, but she did find a very happy Magni Bronzebeard, who informed her that Wrathion was in his rooms, working on the corruption protections.

The speaker had learned from Wrathion that she was an ambassador from Kul Tiras, and was very pleased to have what he considered such an important representative among them. Taelia learned it had been like pulling teeth for him to get anyone important from the major factions to pay attention to the problems at hand. She tried to temper his excitement by explaining that she had recently resigned from the ambassador position, but he was happy nonetheless.

He spent most of the morning showing her around the heart compound and introducing her to a few champions. It was odd to see just as many races belong to the Horde as there were ones belonging to the Alliance. Taelia was fascinated since she had never met any orcs, blood elves, or goblins that either weren't trying to kill her or she wasn't trying to kill.

The tension between the two factions was prevalent, but Taelia learned the secondary reason why not many champions chose to stay for very long in the heart compound.

"Champions! I have an important mission! There are several Azeroth woooonds nearby!" insisted Magni every time they encountered a group of people who either weren't actively working in the heart chamber or getting patched up from their last mission.

"Hehehe, sometimes it's fun to pop up when they're least expecting it," chuckled Magni as they walked away from a couple of stunned adventurers who stood there trying to figure out how the rock-golem of a dwarf had managed to sneak up on them.

She spent a little while helping Magni write missives and send people on assignments to sections of the world where he said needed healing. Taelia quickly became bored with it, but there was no way she was going to tell the Speaker for Azeroth that. She'd already witnessed him shout, "GET BACK TO WORK," at a couple of goblins grumbling about not getting paid enough for this.

Luckily, a group of adventurers who recognized her from Kul Tiras took pity on her. They invited her to go out to Uldum to help defend the Halls of Origination from an attack by the Black Empire. She gladly accepted.

Taelia was about to leave the compound when suddenly Right and an orc woman materialized beside her.

"AH!" exclaimed Taelia. "Tides, make a noise or something!"

"That would defeat the purpose of stealth," deadpanned the orc.

Taelia eyed her warily. "Who are you? And why are you stealthing around me anyway?" Taelia raised an eyebrow at Right. "I thought I told you to tell Wrathion I didn't need watching."

"I did," said Right. "This is Left, we're Wrathion's bodyguards. We've got to look after you. It's in the contract, Princess."

Taelia shook her head. "I'm... not a princess... wait, if you're his bodyguards why don't you stay here with him? Why does a dragon need bodyguards anyway?"

"It's a long story," said Right. "And this place is secure, he doesn't need us here right now."

Taelia narrowed her eyes at the other woman. She didn't buy for a second that Right and Left were coming along because of whatever 'contract' they had. However, they probably would have told her if Wrathion had sent them, and she doubted he had. Was it possible they had their own reasons for wanting to follow her? Either way, Taelia didn't see the harm in having them join the fight. "If you want to come help I'm not going to stop you. I really don't need bodyguards though."

"Sure thing, Princess," said Right as she and Left stepped onto the translocator pad and disappeared to the surface.

"I'm not a princess!" insisted Taelia to the empty space.

The hunter, druid, and mage who had invited her to go with them looked at her in confusion.

"Uh... hey guys, you mind if Wrathion's bodyguards tag along?"

The adventurers, of course, didn't mind, but she could tell they had a lot of questions. Fortunately, they were polite enough not to ask them.

* * *

Fighting in Uldum was rough and not without its dangers, but Taelia loved every minute of it. She fell right in with the group that she was fighting with. As a warrior and the heaviest hitter, she automatically assumed the leadership role and guided their charge through the enemies.

It was exactly the kind of adventure she had been craving. Not only did she get to help people by defeating the evil creatures from the void, but she had the opportunity to see the amazing buildings and statues of Uldum. She got to meet a few members of Tol'vir, the race of feline humanoids that lived in Ramkahen. She got to see the vast expanse of desert, and the beautiful verdant vegetation that grew up around the river that the city was situated near. It was everything she could have asked for and more.

In the evening after the sun had set behind the pyramids, she and the group returned to the heart compound. Taelia asked after Wrathion again but was informed by Magni that he had been working on the corruption protections non-stop.

"I should let him work then..."

"Don't worry, we'll tell him you asked," said Right with a wink.

Left sighed and pulled her partner away, saying something to Right in orcish. Right just grinned. Taelia watched them walk away having what seemed like a light-hearted conversation, though in orcish it was really hard to tell. The warrior just shook her head at the strange rogues and returned to the group of champions. She decided to have her evening meal with them before turning in for the night.

Taelia went to sleep content and feeling like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. 

* * *

Taelia awoke in the middle of the night with a start.

Her nightmare was back.

"Not this again," she mumbled as she wrapped herself in a blanket and exited the room.

She looked down the hall and saw Right sitting on a bench, restringing and performing maintenance on her crossbow.

Right looked up at Taelia as she approached. The bodyguard jerked her head towards the door she was stationed in front of. "He's awake. You can go in."

"Am I allowed to?"

"You're his soulmate."

"That doesn't answer my question..." Taelia stepped up to the door and went in anyway.

Wrathion's room was simultaneously surprising, yet completely expectedly _him_. Though the room was the same as hers in terms of size, the contents were... eclectic to say the least. Instead of a cot, there was a full oval-shaped bed piled with pillows. There was a plush rug on the floor. The furnishings were on the outlandish side of opulent. Silken material hung from the walls like tapestries. Almost every color was represented, yet somehow nothing seemed to clash.

She did wonder how he'd gotten all this in here. Right and Left didn't seem like the kind of employees that would tolerate procuring and moving fripperies. She theorized that he had either conjured or magically transported it all.

One corner however was set up with a practical work table upon which sat instruments she recognized as an alchemy set. She saw stacks of the corrupted scales they had collected from Blackwing Descent. There were vials of dark liquid, plates of black powder, and shards like obsidian. It seemed he was trying the scales in a variety of forms.

At this table was where she found him, perched upon a stool, writing in a journal. He seemed more disheveled than a day ago, and she wondered if he had slept. He was dressed in a comfortable-looking loose shirt and pants with his hair pulled back in a messy bun.

At the sound of her entry, he said, "I already told you, I don't--" He stopped when he turned and saw her. "Taelia."

"Burning the midnight oil I see," she said.

"Darling, I thought you were Right."

"She told me I could come in."

Wrathion rolled his eyes. "Of course she did."

Taelia stopped and stood in the middle of the room. "Is it okay that I'm here?"

He gave her a smile. "Yes, please, make yourself comfortable. I ought to take a break anyway."

She went to an armchair near his worktable and sat, snuggling up in her blanket. "Are you any closer?"

He shrugged. "It's hard to tell. I think I am. It has been difficult to transform the scales into a material that will be useful long-term and will provide complete protection rather than focused. I've made potions in the past and my cleansing spell of course, but they are temporary. My latest experiment was jewelry made from the scales, but the protection it provides does not seem to be reliable or provide enough coverage. I was just in the process of figuring out what to try next." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Why are you awake at this hour?"

She pulled the blanket tighter around her. "I had a nightmare."

Wrathion's eyes flashed as he looked at her. "You do have a touch of corruption on you again. I'm sorry, my dear. I promise you will be the first to know when I have a workable solution."

Taelia shook her head. "It's fine. It's nothing I can't handle."

Wrathion looked at her pointedly, thinking of how N'zoth affected his own dreams. "N'zoth likes to prey on your worst fears and insecurities. Do not heed the futures he shows you. We will make sure they will not come to pass."

Taelia's eyes widened. "Futures? What do you mean?"

Wrathion tilted his head. "N'zoth revels in his corrupted plans for the future. For example, he likes to taunt me with what I would be like if I were to give in to his madness as my father did. He shows me as a Black Emperor, roaming the skies, terrorizing any who will not turn to him."

"Oh... that's..." Taelia trailed off.

"What do you see in your nightmares?"

"I'm... not sure. My nightmares are usually the same. I'm in an ice storm chained to a chair made of ice on this platform. I spend the entire dream screaming for someone to help me, but I'm always alone. Voices whisper to me strange things about my father, about saving him. Though... tonight was different."

"Different how?"

Taelia looked away from his burning gaze. "I wasn't alone. I was... changed. I was standing on frozen stairs commanding a legion of death knights and... I think I was undead myself."

Wrathion frowned. "Very concerning, indeed."

"I don't understand how that could be my future... What could it mean?"

Wrathion shook his head. "I do not know. Though, I believe the place you're describing in your dream is Icecrown, at the seat of the Frozen Throne. The last person known to command the undead like that was the Lich King, but he's been dead for years." He saw the sad look on Taelia's face. "Your father died fighting the Lich King, correct?"

"Yes."

"N'zoth is very good at taking the feelings we have for the ones we love and using them. I don't know why the future he's showing you is on top of Icecrown, but try not to pay it any mind. Remember that these visions' purpose is to make you second-guess yourself and fall prey to his madness."

"I'll try," she said.

"Hopefully soon I will be able to provide a solution to these nightmares, and you won't have to deal with them anymore."

"I hope so."

Wrathion turned back to his notes and looked at them without seeing them. He looked back at his soulmate. She was curled up in the chair wrapped in the blanket so that only her head was poking out. She was absolutely adorable.

"Darling, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"What did you mean yesterday when you said you were nothing but a distraction for Anduin?"

She blinked a few times. "Oh... just that... he's the king. He's busy all the time. I cause him to miss things."

"Miss things? Like what?"

Taelia fidgeted with a corner of the blanket. "Like the death of troll kings and important missives about the war... why do you ask?"

"The two of you seemed... distant. You weren't as close as I would expect from two soulmates who have been in the same proximity for months."

"Oh... I guess that's because we've had to keep it a secret the whole time. And to be fair, when you saw us together I was mad at him for hiding you."

"It wasn't just that. You seemed very eager to leave, I'm just trying to figure out why."

Taelia shifted uncomfortably at the way Wrathion was looking at her like he could see right through her.

"I mean... I told Anduin from the beginning I would only stay there as long as I was useful. I really do want to help you."

He arched a brow at her.

"Fine!" she exclaimed and stood up. "I don't fit in there okay?! The nobles all hate me! Being ambassador was miserable! If I can't even do that job, how am I ever supposed to be queen?!"

She balled up the blanket and tossed it at his head. He caught it easily and put it back on the chair as he watched her pace and continue to rant.

"I'm a warrior! I'm not a _lady_. I never asked for any of this! I don't want to sit around all day having tea with those snobs while they sneer at me! I don't care about political games or gossip or--"

"Has Anduin asked you to be his queen?"

She stopped her pacing. "No. He hasn't." She looked at her wrist and rubbed her soulmarks. "But I know what's expected of me."

"Surely he'd never force you to--"

She shook her head. "No, he'd never. The pressure isn't from him. He said when we first met I should be queen only if I want it." She sighed and whispered, "The thing is... I think I do want it."

Wrathion sat still, listening intently.

"I just... I look at him and I see his good heart, his love for his people, how he'd do anything for them, how badly he wants peace in the world... I _want_ to be his queen. I _want_ to stand by his side and help him however I can. I--"

"You love him."

She blinked and admitted, "I... I suppose I do."

Wrathion chuckled at her confusion and the blush that came to her cheeks. "I understand."

Their eyes met and they smiled at each other. Taelia was surprised to find she wasn't jealous, rather she felt a happy glow; their shared love for Anduin connected them more than anything.

"He's so frustrating though," she huffed and began pacing again. "He never talked to me. I know he's busy, he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders, but it's like he doesn't realize he doesn't have to bear it alone. I just want to be close to him. I was there for months, but we never really got to spend time together."

"Have you told Anduin any of this?"

"No. I don't want to disappoint him."

"So... you ran away with me instead?"

She bristled, "Okay look--"

Wrathion laughed, "I'm not complaining, I'm glad that you're here, but it sounds like your problems with Anduin are caused by the space and secrecy. You could be by his side if you two weren't hiding your relationship, yes?

"I guess... but as soon as everyone knows we're soulmates, they're going to expect us to get married and start making heirs as soon as possible," said Taelia with an eye roll.

"So?"

Her mouth fell open. "So?! I'm not ready for either of those things yet!"

"So don't have children until you want to. But you love Anduin, you're soulmates, you know you're destined to be together. It doesn't seem like a wedding would hurt anything."

Taelia was silent for a moment.

"I wouldn't be able to see the world," she said quietly. "It's selfish, I know, but it's my dream... I can't go out adventuring if I'm the queen of Stormwind."

Wrathion stroked his beard and gazed at her. "I might know of a certain black dragon willing to steal away Stormwind royals for occasional adventures."

Taelia grinned. "You might?"

He smirked back at her. "Oh yes, I'm sure my brother Ebyssian could--"

"Wrathion," scoffed Taelia as she launched herself into his arms and hugged him. "Thank you. Even if it never happens, thank you for saying it."

As she tried to pull away, he caught her, keeping her in his embrace.

"It'll happen, and it's not selfish, darling. Your dreams are important too."

Was this really the same dragon that Anduin had described to her? He was charming and clever, yes, but where was the manipulative creature who apparently had little regard for the feelings of others unless it suited him? He obviously cared for her and Anduin, but she'd also been witness to how he treated his Blacktalons, Left and Right, the champions, Magni... it just didn't seem to fit with the picture Anduin had painted.

Part of her argued that maybe he was just really good at hiding it, but she doubted it. Looking at him now, seeing how tired he was from staying up working on a plan to save Azeroth, how hopeful and vulnerable he looked having her in his arms, Taelia was willing to take her chances.

So when he leaned down to kiss her, she let him.

It felt right, the same way kissing Anduin had felt right. Taelia closed her eyes and stood on her toes, melting into him. He was being surprisingly reserved when all she wanted was more.

Too soon he pulled away and looked down at her. There was conflict in his eyes that made her wonder what else he might have promised Anduin.

Wrathion took a deep breath and a step back, holding her at arm's length. "I... should get back to work..."

"Work... Yes..." Taelia bit her lip and let her hands fall away from him. "I... don't really want to be by myself after that nightmare. Could I... stay here a little while longer? As long as I won't bother you?"

His eyes flicked over her, but then he cleared his throat and said, "Of course, I don't see why not."

Once again wrapped in her blanket, she curled up in the chair and watched him try to return to his notes.

It took him a good five minutes of just staring at the journal making himself ignore her intoxicating presence before he picked up his train of thought again.

He worked quietly for a while. Before long he heard her breathing slow and even and he looked over to see she had fallen asleep. He smiled at the way she had curled up into a ball in the chair, but the angle of her neck did not look comfortable.

He got up and crouched near her, brushing some of her soft hair out of her face. Very gently, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. She made humming noises, settled into the pillows, and kept sleeping.

As he tucked her blanket securely around her, he was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Blanket protection! Fabric! Of course!" he mumbled. "Jewelry... what was I thinking?"

He spent another moment admiring his sleeping soulmate then went back to his notes and began drafting the plans for a different anti-corruption item.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I see the word "wound" now I hear it in Magni's voice. HEAL THE WOOOONDS CHAMPION!
> 
> I have no idea if Wrathion knows about Bolvar being Lich King in canon, but we're gonna pretend he doesn't. Also I imagine Tae walks around wondering why death knights don't seem to like her very much...


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're tryin' to earn that Mature rating today friends. Sexual content ahead.

Anduin's room was still and silent. It was so quiet he thought he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, but what really set him on-edge was the inky purple haze that seemed to permeate everything.

He walked slowly over to his balcony and opened the doors, stepped to the stone railing, and looked out over his city.

_His glorious corrupted city._

Above him came the sound of flapping wings, and he looked up to see a giant black dragon, chest aglow, dripping with magma, and flying straight towards him. He did not run or panic, but simply took a step back as the beast contorted itself into a human shape and landed on two feet in front of him.

Anduin's breath hitched when he recognized Wrathion. The dragon's usually soft glowing red eyes were instead blazing, he radiated even more heat than normal, horns grew out from under his mass of thick black hair, and a tail swished behind him. He wore only a pair of loose pants, his chest bare, and Anduin could see patches of scales along the skin of his thickly muscled upper body. He was big, almost the size of a male Draenei and at least a head taller than Anduin... as if his true draconic form could barely be contained.

This... this was not his Wrathion. A title floated to the front of his consciousness... _The Black Emperor._

This Wrathion stepped up to Anduin and put a clawed finger under his chin, tilting his face up before placing a smoldering kiss upon his lips. "Come, my king. Our queen has need of us."

Anduin turned and a chill ran down his spine.

There, standing beside the bed, was Taelia. He knew it had to be her, but this creature looked nothing like his Taelia. Gone were the straight black locks and emerald green eyes... instead was snow-white hair and a glowing icy blue gaze.

She outstretched a pallid hand and beckoned to them both, the sleeve of her flowing white robe waterfalling from her arm.

"It is unwise to keep the Lich Queen waiting."

With a nudge at his back from the emperor, Anduin's feet took him forward until he stood before her.

Wrathion moved around him and went into her outstretched arms. With a growl, the dragon took her lips in an intense kiss and she met him with equal passion. They were magnificent together, fire on ice, and Anduin gasped as a pang of desire shot through him.

Wrathion hummed against her lips, then broke the kiss. "Smells like he wants us, darling."

She turned to face Anduin with her back up against the emperor. "He's not ready yet," she purred.

Wrathion's large clawed hands glided down her front, caressing her breasts, then went to the lace knot tying her robe closed. He pulled the two ends and it came loose, falling open to reveal what should have been her olive skin, but instead was deathly pale.

Taelia reached up and caressed Wrathion's cheek as his teeth sank into her neck. "Do you want to join us, Anduin?" she breathed.

Anduin said nothing and just stared as Wrathion traced her curves. She pulled away from Wrathion and stepped towards Anduin, her cool fingers brushing his cheek.

Her icy touch seemed to help snap him out of the daze. He jerked away. "This... This isn't right."

Wrathion emitted a low rumble and stalked over to his side. "What isn't right? Tell us. We can make things however you want them."

"Yes," hissed Taelia as she pursued his retreat, pressing herself up against him. "What do you want Anduin?"

He groaned at the feeling of her cool hands slipping under his shirt and her bare breasts against him. Wrathion moved behind him, the hard planes of his chest flush against Anduin's back. When he felt a hot, disturbingly forked tongue against his neck Anduin threw his head back and nearly lost his mind. He was trapped between them, drowning in the feelings elicited by their touches. His body reacted despite his tumultuous thoughts telling him that all of this was... wrong.

The heat radiated by Wrathion behind him was overwhelming, causing him to gasp for breath and begin to sweat. He looked down at himself and in a horrifying instant realized what was pouring out of him was not sweat at all. Smokey trails of purple void energy leaked from the very pores of his skin, streaming from his eyes and mouth and hands, swirling around the three of them before pooling on the floor.

_...little king, take what is yours... give in to your desires... surrender yourself and your responsibilities... let go... serve the master..._

"No," he sobbed as they continued to torture him with hot and cold hands and lips and tongues. He tried to pull away but found himself tangled in the now tangible void tendrils wound around his feet and climbing higher. "No, I don't want this! This isn't how it's supposed to be! Stop... please..."

Wrathion reached up and took a handful of blond hair, turning Anduin's face towards him. "Still not ready yet," said the dragon with a disapproving click of his tongue.

"Soon, love," drawled Taelia. Anduin shivered as she kissed his neck then whispered in his ear, "You'll join us soon enough, _my Void King_."

* * *

Anduin woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat. He carefully reached up and touched his forehead, making sure what was coming out of him actually was sweat. He looked around at his room in a panic, but the air seemed normal, lacking the purple hue of the dream.

He got up and put on his robe. He went out onto his balcony and took a deep breath of night air. Looking up to the sky he saw no dragons, just the occasional gryphon rider circling the keep. Stormwind looked as it always did at night, peaceful and quiet as streetlamps flickered with warm light.

Satisfied that everything was normal, Anduin went back inside. His thoughts turned to the pendant hidden inside the bedside table.

_I should call him. It's just the corruption..._

He shook his head. There was no way he was willing to risk Wrathion somehow figuring out the suggestive nature of the dream. He didn't think he could stand the teasing that would surely follow.

Anduin wondered if this was going to be what he was tortured with from now on. This was not his first corrupted nightmare, but this was the first time he'd seen his soulmates in one. His previous nightmares usually involved him ruling as a tyrant over a corrupted Stormwind. Visions of executing people in the throne room for not "bending to the will of the master" were perfectly effective at causing him to wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath unable to return to sleep. Couldn't the old god be content with that? If N'zoth had been searching for what made Anduin vulnerable, the corrupter had certainly found it in his soulmates.

Anduin laid back on his bed and looked at the soulmarks on his arm. It had only been a couple of days since they'd left him, and he was already feeling the distance. He wondered if there was something in the magic of the soulbond that contributed to the feeling of this hole in his chest. It was like pieces of his heart were missing.

He was even willing to admit he missed the stupid dragon though he thought he'd long since grown accustomed to missing the stupid dragon.

Part of him was curious to know what Wrathion thought of their other soulmate. What was he like with her? What was she like with him? Were they getting along? Was Taelia going to end up getting her heart broken too?

Despite his worries, the guilt about keeping them apart had been gnawing at him so much he'd even started to reconsider telling Taelia about her father. He didn't want to keep secrets from her, but after that nightmare... seeing his lively Kul Tiran warrior as a cold queen of the dead was enough to override his conscience telling him to come clean with her.

And Wrathion... he had looked so much like Deathwing. The nightmare made Anduin think maybe it wasn't so unreasonable withholding his trust until the dragon had defeated the old god.

What scared him the most about the nightmare wasn't them, but himself and his own reactions. It scared him how much he wanted to give in to the whispers, give in to them. Anduin's heart raced as he thought of the other things his soulmates could be doing without him. Seeing them together like that... he wondered what would have happened if the dream had continued... if he'd let them keep going... Anduin considered using some of the other hidden contents of his bedside table.

 _No!_ Anduin squeezed his eyes shut. _Not like this..._

He sighed deeply and got out of bed. Anduin knelt by the bed despite the protesting ache of his legs, put his hands together, bowed his head, and reached out to the Light. He prayed until he could no longer stand the discomfort in his knees, at which point he got up and began preparing for his day... starting with a cold shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never played Hearthstone but I LOVE Shadowreaper and corrupted Anduin art.
> 
> Also, I wanted to let you guys know I'll be bumping the story up to Explicit soon for future chapters due to sexual content. I'll put warnings at the beginning of the relevant chapters too like I did for this one. Everything I've written so far is pretty much what you'd expect under the tags "Threesome - F/M/M" and "Eventual Smut" but feel free to let me know if I should add more specific tags/warnings when we get to it. I don't think I'm going to surprise anyone though. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heed the rating change. Marking Explicit now for sexual content in this chapter and some chapters to come.

Taelia awoke to the sound of a strange whirring. When she reached out and grasped the silk sheets surrounding her, it took her a minute to remember she'd gone to Wrathion's room last night and never left. She stretched and sat up, realizing that Wrathion must have moved her to his bed after she fell asleep in the chair. The second thing she realized was that the whirring noise emanated from a large loom that now occupied the majority of the room's floor space. Parts of it glowed with purple arcane energy and moved on its own as it wove a shimmery black thread into fabric.

Wrathion was still sitting at his worktable writing in his journal with intent, his brow knit in concentration.

"Wrathion?"

He looked over and gave her a smile. "Good morning, darling. Any more nightmares?"

She shook her head. "No... What's with the loom?"

"A new experiment. Will you be joining the champions again today?"

She climbed out of bed and inspected the textile machinery. "Yes, I think I will."

"Good." He got up and moved to her. He touched the pendant that she hadn't taken off since he'd given it to her. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." Then before he could turn away she gave him a quick kiss. She giggled at his surprised expression before escaping the room. "Good luck with your experiment."

* * *

It didn't take Taelia long to find the champions and make plans to go back out to Uldum. This time she wasn't surprised when Left and Right emerged from the shadows to accompany them.

They spent the day much like the one before, this time clearing a different section of the desert.

After they got back to the compound but before everyone went their separate ways, Taelia pulled Right aside.

"Hey, why do you keep calling me princess?"

Right tilted her head and answered, "Short for Princess Consort."

"I'm not anyone's consort either." Taelia looked at her in confusion. "And even if I was, Anduin's a king, wouldn't that make me queen consort?"

"I'm not talking about Lion-Boy. You're a soulmate of the Black Prince, _darling_ , you belong to a dragon. Consort is how they name their mates."

"O-oh." Taelia wasn't sure what to do with this information, but it reminded her there was a lot she didn't know about dragons.

After changing out of her armor, she decided to wander around the compound by herself exploring. What Right had said wouldn't leave her mind though, and she blushed at the thought of what it might mean to be Wrathion's _mate_.

Finding a quiet alcove, she sat down against a wall and pulled up her sleeve to look at her soulmarks.

She traced the symbol on her wrist that belonged to Wrathion. It was nice to look at it and finally know what it meant even though there were now many other questions she asked herself when she looked at it. There was so much in their relationship that needed to be figured out. Their priority at the moment was killing N'zoth, but assuming they survived that, what would life be like afterward?

Taelia traced the letters ALW and let herself miss her beautiful golden-haired king. With Wrathion's encouragement, she'd been able to admit that she loved him. It was scary though, there was a lot of responsibility wrapped up in loving Anduin.

Could she be the queen he needed? Was she really the right person to help him lead? And what of Wrathion? Where would he fit in? As much as she wanted to help Anduin and be with him, Taelia didn't want to have to choose between her soulmates.

It was almost funny, she had spent so much time throughout her teenage years worrying about how she would fit in with soulmates who had known each other for so long. Now after having met them, her biggest worry was whether or not they could get back together. And they needed to get back together. Even though she hadn't known either of them for very long, she could tell that both her soulmates were hopelessly in love with each other.

It was less obvious with Anduin, but there was just something about the way he'd talked about the dragon that led her to believe he'd never stopped carrying that torch. Even after their years apart, Anduin still had a broken heart she knew only their other soulmate could help put back together. There was just so much strife between the two of them, she hoped Wrathion's efforts would be enough.

Taelia also hoped she hadn't irrevocably broken anything with Anduin by choosing to leave with Wrathion, but at the same time, she didn't regret it. Being away had given her the space to miss Anduin and figure out her feelings for him. She would just have to depend on Anduin's forgiveness, she and Wrathion both would.

Taelia was still looking at her soulmarks when Wrathion came striding around the corner, interrupting her thoughts.

She scrambled to her feet before she realized it was him. "Wrathion!"

"Sorry, darling, didn't mean to sneak up on you. I'm not disturbing you am I?"

"No, not at all, I was just exploring." She noticed a square of folded fabric in his hands. "Did your experiment go as well as you hoped?"

"It went even better! I have a gift for you," he said, and with a flourish held up a large rectangle of black shimmery material. "This is the first prototype for the cloaks I will be creating for all those going to fight in Ny'alotha. If you sleep under this, I guarantee you will no longer have corrupted nightmares."

Taelia smiled, "You made me a blanket to keep my nightmares away!" She reached out to feel the soft, silky texture. It was so nice, she couldn't resist taking a corner and rubbing it against her cheek. "Wrathion, this is wonderful, thank you."

"I should be thanking you. You're the one who gave me the idea last night," he said as he draped the blanket over her shoulders. He seemed very pleased with himself, but also very tired. It was obvious he had stayed up yet another night working on this, he was even still wearing the same clothes. It made her feel special knowing she was the first recipient of his hard work.

"Still," she said quietly, taking a step closer to him, "I think you deserve a proper thanks."

Taelia stood on her toes to give him a kiss at the corner of his mouth, remembering how he'd seemed to enjoy the casual intimacy of her peck this morning.

This time, instead of surprise on his face, his expression darkened.

"A proper thanks, hm?" he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

It was exactly the reaction she was hoping for. She responded in kind by wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into the needy kiss that followed.

They were so caught up in each other that they didn't hear distant footsteps getting close.

"CHAMPIONS! WHERE ARE YE?! AZEROTH NEEDS YER HELP!" came the echoed shout from only a short way down the hall.

Wrathion and Taelia both instantly jumped apart.

Taelia cursed, grabbed her soulmate, and pushed him up against the wall in the alcove. The clanging sound of diamond footsteps got louder.

"Damn, he's going to walk right by and see us!"

Wrathion chuckled, "No he's not. Watch this..."

Wrathion made a gesture and grey mist drifted out of the palm of his hand. It shimmered for a moment before the shadows drew in, concealing them in the secluded corner. Taelia pressed tight against him and held her breath as Magni walked by without so much as a hesitation.

"Wow," she whispered after a moment. "Can anyone hear us?"

"No, not if we're quiet."

"Perfect," she said with a lascivious grin and buried her hands in his hair, pulling him down to her lips.

He was an amazing kisser, the perfect combination of teasing and rough. She couldn't help but compare his style to Anduin's equally perfect soft, attentive kisses. She wondered how much of their skill could be attributed to each other.

Taelia let herself get swept away by the feelings brought on by being in the arms of her soulmate. Her hands started to wander, reaching down to untuck the loose shirt from his trousers and slip her hands underneath. He made a low purr-like noise. With her plastered against him, she could feel against her stomach his interest starting to grow.

When Taelia's fingertips teased the edge of his waistband, he broke the kiss.

"Darling, we shouldn't...." he breathed.

"Why? No one is going to see us," she whispered. She kissed down his neck and nuzzled near his collarbone, finding a sensitive spot there and biting lightly.

"Anduin...," he whispered the name of their other soulmate.

"Anduin isn't here," she said and bit a little harder.

Wrathion drew back and took her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. "Taelia."

When he said her name like that, gentle but with a note of disappointment, she stopped.

Taelia blinked a couple of times, trying to break out of the daze elicited by their activities. "You're right, I'm sorry, I know you're right..." She took a deep breath. "I just... Now that I've met both of you... I feel..."

"I feel it too. Drawn to you...," he said with a caress of her cheek. "And missing him has gotten worse."

"I... I don't want to be one more reason he's mad at you! I've just waited for so long and you're my soulmate too, I want--" She made a frustrated noise. "Even after meeting you two, do I really have to keep waiting?!"

"You talk about waiting as if...," then his eyes widened in realization. "I know you two were distant, but I thought you and Anduin would have--"

Taelia shook her head. "Wrathion, it took me weeks to get him not to jump out of his skin every time I touched him!"

"But you're... and he's... You mean to tell me Anduin still hasn't...?" Wrathion closed his eyes and swallowed thickly.

She felt him twitch against her, and her eyebrows shot up at his reaction. Tides, she wanted more of that. The temptation to tease him was too strong.

"You... like that? Knowing Anduin's still... innocent?" She used her hips to push him harder against the wall, "Wouldn't you love to take him together? With both of us for his first time, his poor heart might give out..." Wrathion's breaths grew ragged, and he dropped his hands, pressing back against the wall as much as he could. She decided to push him a little further. "He's very apprehensive, our golden soulmate. Was he like that with you? I had to go so slow with him, but between the two of us I bet we can get him to relax..."

Her hands wandered to the hard length she felt against her stomach, palming him through his clothes, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I bet I don't have to be so careful with you though..."

He sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed her wrists, flipping their positions, pinning her against the wall. "Oh no you don't," he growled.

Wrathion's glowing eyes flared as he mumbled a few words of a spell. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a faint lavender glow. She looked down by her sides to see arcane bands around her wrists as he let go and stepped back. Tugging at the shackles she found she couldn't pull away from the wall.

"Wha--? _Wrathion!_ Let me go! Magic use is _not_ fair!"

He placed his hands against the wall on either side of her head, caging her with his arms.

"What's not fair is you touching me like that when we shouldn't--"

"No, what's not fair is having two soulmates who won't touch you at all!" Taelia growled and gave a hard tug at the restraints.

His eyes looked her up and down as she did her best to break free from the wall.

"You want to be touched?"

Taelia stopped her struggling and went still. The predatory smile he had on sent a thrill down her spine.

Wrathion chuckled darkly, "I _should_ leave you here to cool off..."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you _dare_ \--"

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, stopping the rest of her threat.

"You make such a pretty sight though," he whispered, "and I would hate to leave my future queen wanting."

She gasped when his hands untucked her shirt and slipped under it. Now that he wasn't busy keeping her from fondling him, he could focus on touching her, running his fingertips lightly over her skin. She shivered at more than just his touch. His words, _my future queen_ , echoed in her head.

"You're so very desperate... Perhaps I can help take the edge off?"

He pressed a thigh between her legs, and she couldn't help but grind against him. Her breaths came more quickly as his touch ghosted down her stomach, and went to the laces of her pants. She moaned and bucked against him, pulling at the restraints, biting her lip to keep from being too loud, head thrown back against the wall.

She'd never experienced anything like this. Taelia had kissed, of course. She had made out in dark corners behind the Snug Harbor on more than one occasion if she happened to meet a nice traveler. None of it compared to the absolutely heady rush brought on by Wrathion's teasing warm touch and his smoldering kiss all while being pinned to the wall. All her experience up until then had been under _her_ terms, including her brief moments with Anduin and even the drunken night on her birthday. She had always been the kind of girl who knew what she wanted and went and got it, even if she might regret it the next morning.

Taelia never thought herself the kind of person who would enjoy being at the mercy of another like this, but when her gorgeous soulmate loosened the laces of her pants and started slipping his hand beneath, suddenly she could see the appeal.

She might have been embarrassed by the whimpering noise she made when his fingers slipped between her folds if she hadn't been so swept away by it all.

"Quiet now," he said before silencing her with a kiss.

She moaned against his lips and tried again to jerk against the magical restraints, moving her hips in response to his touch. He found her clit with his thumb and rubbed it slowly, too slowly. She made a needy noise against his mouth.

He broke the kiss to allow them both a second to breathe.

"Wrathion... more... want you... inside...," she panted.

He obliged her with one finger, slipping in easily. "One day soon, I am going to give you what you want and so much more... going to take you _both_..."

He pushed a second finger inside her and relished the look of pleasure on her face, brow furrowed, mouth open in a silent scream. He began pumping in and out, working her clit with his thumb at the same time.

She was trying so hard not to make any noise between little halting breaths and choked-back moans. Wrathion thought he might be able to watch her like this on the edge of pleasure forever, but they didn't have that much time. So when her scent enveloped his senses and her sounds got higher and more desperate, he leaned in, licked the shell of her ear, and whispered, "Do it, darling. Let me feel you come on my fingers."

His words were more than enough to send her over the edge. He felt her tight squeeze, fluttering around his fingers and he continued until he wrung every bit of pleasure from her. He wrapped his other arm around her to keep her supported against the wall since it took a second for her shaking legs to hold her up again.

He pulled his slick hand out from under her clothing and brought his fingers to his lips, sucking them into his mouth, tasting her.

"Mm, feel better now?"

She stared at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed as she tried to catch her breath, coming down from her high slowly, unable to find words to express herself.

"That's what I thought."

He kissed her deeply, swiping his tongue against hers, before taking a full step back.

Wrathion looked down at his state of undress and snapped his fingers. In an instant, he was perfectly presentable in his usual outfit with the coat, pointed boots, and pauldrons. His hair had even arranged itself into unmussed voluminous waves.

"Wait, Wrathion," she protested as she realized he still hadn't released her from the wall, "don't you want to let me...? I mean for you I could--"

"No." He shook his head. "This is the only way I can trust my restraint, darling. Not now."

"You are not seriously going to leave me here!"

"I suggest you not make too much noise in case anyone wanders by. Don't worry, the shackles will wear off soon."

" _Wrathion!_ " she hissed after him as he walked away.

* * *

Anduin was having a late dinner at his desk when an odd feeling of longing suddenly swept over him. He'd been missing his soulmates constantly, but this was new.

He set down his quill and took a large gulp of Dalaran Red. The urge to go to them was strong. He looked at the papers on his desk and started imagining how he might foist the work off onto his advisers and rearrange his schedule so that he might be able to take Jaina up on her offer.

The feelings soon passed but left him in a state of bewilderment.

 _What's wrong with me? I can't leave Stormwind!_ He shook himself from the thoughts and decided to take a walk. Clearly, he needed to get away from his desk, the stress over the treaty must have been getting to him.

He found himself walking outside towards the gryphon stables and went directly to the stall that housed Galeheart.

The poor bird didn't even raise her head when he entered.

Anduin sighed and grabbed a chunk of dried meat that the trainers used as treats and tried to tempt her with it. All he got was a chuff of dismissal as Galeheart turned away.

He flopped down into the nest, leaned against her, and stroked the feathers behind her neck.

"I know exactly how you feel."

* * *

Later that night, after the spell had worn off and Taelia's ire had cooled considerably, she went to find her soulmate.

Right shook her head as Taelia approached Wrathion's room.

"I don't know what happened, but I'm not supposed to let you in. I told him he was being fucking stupid _again_ but--"

"Right, just hold on a moment," interrupted Taelia. She closed her eyes and touched the pendant at her neck.

_Wrathion?_

There was a long silence.

Finally, she heard his voice. _What is it darling?_

_Can I come in? I just need to tell you something, then I promise I'll leave you alone._

There was another significant pause before she looked up at him opening the door. He stood aside to let her in.

She entered and noticed he didn't close the door behind her.

Taelia avoided his apprehensive eyes as she looked around the room at the assembly line of corruption-resistant cloaks in progress.

Wrathion crossed his arms. "What did you need to tell me?"

"I'm sorry," she said and finally met his eyes. "What I did wasn't right, I shouldn't have jumped you like that. I know you're trying to win back Anduin and I know my presence here... complicates things," she explained, struggling to find the right words. "I don't want to get in the way. I promise I won't do it again."

Wrathion uncrossed his arms and took a hesitant step towards her. "Taelia, that's not--"

"It's okay, I understand." She took a step away. "We shouldn't let ourselves get distracted anyway, we have an old god to kill." Taelia gave him a weak smile and began retreating towards the door. "I'll leave you alone now, you have a lot of cloaks to make. Goodnight, Wrathion."

Then she left before he could say anything more.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do Sylvanas and I have in common? We like to make more problems for Anduin :)

Anduin Wrynn woke up the morning of his twentieth birthday and prepared for his day like any other. He looked in the mirror and despaired at the circles under his eyes that were only getting darker. On top of the usual stresses of being king, the variety of corrupted nightmares he'd been having made him almost afraid to sleep.

He splashed water on his face and hoped he could continue pushing through the exhaustion without worrying his advisors too much.

After dressing in his usual regalia, he spent a little time praying before heading out to start his day.

Breakfast was brought to him at his desk in his study. He ate while looking over various letters, bits of news, and listening to his secretary tell him the day's planned events.

The rest of the morning was spent in meetings, most of which were mundane updates from the different committees in charge of actually managing the day-to-day minutia of the kingdom. Other meetings involved discussions about organizing and carrying out the finer points of the treaty that was soon to be signed. There was much planning needed to remove Alliance presence from places like Zandalar and repair the areas that would soon be vacated by the Horde.

Anduin had just come out of a meeting when he was approached by Stormwind Keep's royal stablemaster.

"The damn bird keeps tryin' ta fly the coop!" he exclaimed. "Galeheart was such a sweet thing before Lady Fordragon left. We've been tryin' ta take care of her as best we can, but she keeps fightin' us! Do you know when the lass will be back?"

Anduin managed to mumble a noncommital answer before being pulled away to the next meeting.

At noon, he took a break and had his midday meal with Jaina. She brought him a box of cupcakes picked up from Dalaran that they shared for desert. He did his best to ignore the worried looks she kept throwing his way. She'd been spending more time around the keep despite his protests that he was fine, but he was secretly grateful. And today it was nice to celebrate his birthday with one of the few people left he considered family.

After lunch was a long afternoon court session in the throne room. Holding court usually involved seeing petitioners, listening to people's problems, and trying to solve them. Since it was his birthday, this day was a bit different. Most of the visitors were well-wishers bearing gifts.

Anduin was delighted by the first visitors. A group of children from the orphanage had come with the matron to present him with a large colorful card they had all signed and drawn on. Anduin smiled and promised them that he would hang it up in his study so he could look at their wonderful pictures.

The other gifts were mostly small tokens of regard from the different factions and allies of the kingdom. Guilds from inside the kingdom brought finely-made examples of their work since many used the opportunity for advertising. Ambassadors from the other members of the Alliance also sent things like the casks of ale from Ironforge or special brews from the Pandaren. Any representative from the night elves was conspicuously absent. The strangest item presented to him was from the Mechagnomes, the newest addition to the Alliance, who sent a mechanocat painted "fireball red" and a book about how to customize it.

There were also gifts from the different noble families of Stormwind. Anduin was not oblivious to the high number of bachelorettes who seemed to be representing their families this year.

Anduin was always thankful for the show of appreciation from the people, but as the afternoon passed, the hours stretched longer and longer.

At last, the final petitioner approached: the courier from the House of Nobles. It was customary for the House to send the king well wishes on his birthday, but this usually didn't require the aid of a scroll like the one the lady was unfurling.

"Greetings," said Anduin. "Approach friend, and speak."

"Your majesty," the courier nodded in acknowledgment. She took a breath and began reading so that all the room could hear.

"The House of Nobles, the governing body of the Kingdom of Stormwind, extends its warmest wishes to his majesty, High King of the Alliance and commander of its forces, Anduin Llane of House Wrynn on the occasion of his twentieth birthday.

"It is with great consternation that the delegates of the various families comprising the body of the House of Nobles have met and recognized a most pressing issue threatening the stability and safety of the kingdom that they feel must be addressed. Insofar as his majesty, the king, is yet unmarried and without legitimate recognized heirs causing uncertainty throughout the realm as to the question of the inheritance of the crown should misfortune befall the king during these tumultuous times, the illustrious House has taken it upon themselves to provide a solution.

"The House of Nobles with associated council has compiled a list of suitable candidates for matrimony from which the House humbly requests his majesty choose and wed within the next annum. Should his majesty instead choose to persist in his bachelor state and remain without a spouse a year from this date on his twenty-first birthday, the House shall declare the ceasing of all funds and suspension of payments directed towards any and all war debts compounded henceforth and previous to the reading of this request, as well as compensation of his majesty's armies and veterans."

The courier paused as a collective shock rippled throughout the throne room.

Anduin slowly rose from the throne. The aura of pure rage that radiated from him reminded dozens of people in the room of the previous occupant of the lion's seat. Everyone waited for him to interrupt, but he did not. The king stared daggers at the courier, silently daring the woman to continue reading.

"An exception to the list of suitable candidates shall be made should his majesty make the acquaintance of and present to the House a genuine soulmate capable of providing full-blooded human heirs. The king shall then marry the eligible soulmate before the time of his next birthday in order to satisfy the stipulations of this request. The House of Nobles reserves the right to adjust this pronouncement at any time or if extenuating circumstances arise. Should his majesty wish to contest any element of this missive, he may schedule a petition for consideration at the next adjourning of the House.

"Signed and confirmed on this day by Lady Addison Wishock, Lord Michael Huntzburger, the Count and Countess of Erlgadin...," the courier proceeded to read the names of every head of every noble family that comprised the House.

When the woman finished speaking, all attention turned to Anduin.

"Court is dismissed," he said in a low, quiet voice, then turned and stormed out of the throne room.

* * *

Jaina pushed her way through the confused throng of people milling about in the throne room. When she found the Greymanes, the three of them exchanged wordless glances and went off in the direction Anduin had exited.

It was no surprise to find the door to his study locked.

Jaina knocked. "Anduin?"

"I don't feel like talking right now," came the king's muffled voice through the door.

"Anduin, please let us in," said Genn.

There was a pause, and then the sound of movement before Anduin unlocked and opened the door.

Anduin fixed Genn with a hard look. "Did you know about this?"

Genn shook his head. "No, Anduin, and if I had I would have tried to stop them."

Anduin narrowed his eyes at the older king.

"It's true. I have friends among the nobles and not even I knew about it," said Mia. "They planned this well."

Genn continued, "I would never want to put you and Taelia in this position. It's not fair to either of you. I may not understand why she left, or why you let her--"

"I doubt it was a matter of let, dear," chided Mia.

Genn waved his hand. "Regardless, this is terrible coercion! Anduin, I wanted you to find your soulmate because I wanted you to have a partner by your side. You need someone to help you bear the weight of your crown! To have you and Taelia be under this unnecessary pressure... I wouldn't want this for my own children and it isn't what I want for you."

Anduin searched his face but didn't find any sign of insincerity. Anduin couldn't let his anger cause him to lash out at the wrong people; he knew Genn cared about him in his own way.

Anduin sighed, "I believe you."

"However, perhaps this might be a good opportunity to--"

Mia and Jaina both pulled Genn back by either arm to stop him from finishing that sentence, but Anduin knew that Genn was going to use this stunt by the House to help his argument that they needed to bring Taelia back to Stormwind. He and Genn had been arguing about it every day since she'd left.

Jaina interrupted, "I think what Genn means to say is that we'd be happy to help look for a way around this if you and Taelia need more time."

Anduin looked at them all skeptically. "I swear if I see Tess's name on that list--"

"She would kill me long before you had a chance," sighed Genn. "Now please, Anduin. No more hiding in your study. Come with us to the banquet hall, dinner will be starting soon."

Jaina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in consternation and Mia put a hand over her face in reaction to Genn's complete lack of tact. 

Anduin stood up straight and asserted, "I'm not going."

"Anduin, don't be petulant."

"I have no desire to sit at a table for hours upon end with the same people who think they should have a say in my love life!"

"It's a dinner in your honor!"

Anduin crossed his arms. "I give you permission to blow out the candles for me."

Before Genn could snap a response, Mia placed a small hand under his elbow and began dragging her husband away. "Mia--!"

Jaina shook her head as they watched the tiny queen strong-arm the Gilnean king down the hallway.

She sighed, "Are you sure, Anduin? It's not going to look good not showing up."

Anduin's shoulders drooped as soon as Genn was gone. "I know, but I really can't handle it right now Jaina. I have a feeling a lot of those 'suitable candidates' will be in attendance and I just don't think I have the patience or the energy to deflect all evening. I need some time to think."

Jaina nodded. "I understand. We'll tell everyone you're indisposed."

"Thank you."

Jaina hesitated. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"No, that's what I need to think about."

"Well... Let me know if you need anything... I'll have them send dinner to your room. I'm sorry this had to happen on your birthday."

"Yeah. Me too."

* * *

After Jaina left, Anduin tried to get some work done but kept getting interrupted by people at his door trying to lure him out under various pretenses. Eventually, he grabbed a stack of papers, took them to his rooms, and instructed his guard not to let anyone disturb him.

As promised, dinner was brought to him. Though he usually only drank one glass of wine, tonight he told his butler to leave the bottle. He nibbled at the food and drank more than he should have which made focusing on the paperwork nearly impossible. So he gave up, took himself and his wine glass over to the bed, and against his better judgment, pulled out Wrathion's pendant from the bedside table.

He set the glass on the table and sat on his bed, turning the gem over in his hands, considering whether or not he should use it.

 _Light, this is stupid_ , he thought to himself. _I should call him. There's no reason not to. I wonder what he's doing now. What if he's busy? What if--?_

_Anduin?_

He nearly dropped the pendant when he heard Wrathion's voice in his head.

_Wrathion! I... Uh..._

_Sorry, did you mean to call? You were just thinking about me rather loudly..._

Anduin looked to the ceiling and sighed.

_Anduin, is something wrong? Are you okay?_

_...I've had better days..._

Anduin didn't hear Wrathion's voice for a long moment and almost wondered if he'd stopped responding. Then he heard Wrathion say, _Anduin, don't freak out, I'm going to try something._

_Wait what--?_

He blinked and then Wrathion was there sitting cross-legged on the foot of his bed.

"By the Light!" exclaimed Anduin, clutching the pendant to his chest.

Wrathion laughed, "Oh good it works."

Anduin got over his surprise and peered at Wrathion through suspicious eyes. This had to be some kind of illusion. "You're not really here, are you?"

Wrathion grinned and leaned back on his hands, "Why? Do you want me to be?"

Anduin rolled his eyes and looped the chain of the necklace over his head. He tried not to fixate on the sight of Wrathion _on his bed_ wearing a linen shirt so low-cut Anduin could almost see his navel. He could feel his face start to heat. Anduin shook his head and decided to blame it on the wine. There were other issues to think about at the moment.

Wrathion raised an eyebrow at him. "What's wrong Anduin? Talk to me."

Anduin reached for his wine and took another large gulp before saying, "The House of Nobles chose today to inform me that they are going to stop paying my soldiers and veterans if I don't get married within the next year."

Wrathion frowned and was quiet for a long moment. Anduin could almost see the gears turning as the dragon processed the information.

"You are the king. How can they do this?"

Anduin leaned back against the headboard. "The House of Nobles holds the kingdom's purse strings. It's how they keep monarchs in check. They're in charge of setting the budget. I have to sign off on it, but since the families comprising the House own most of the means of production and pay most of the kingdom's taxes--"

"But surely this will not go over well with your people?"

"I'm afraid public opinion will be in their favor. People like weddings. People especially like royal weddings." Anduin sighed, "And unfortunately their fears of instability are valid. If I were to drop dead right this moment the power vacuum would spark animosity between the houses that could boil into civil war over which family should inherit the crown. And that's not even considering what the Horde might do with such an opportunity."

"You could call their bluff. They might not even do it. I'm sure your people wouldn't be happy to see the reality of their brave soldiers going unpaid--"

"You know I couldn't do that to them Wrathion. Besides, imagine how that would make me look. These soldiers are willing to fight and die by my command! They trust me to take care of them! Just imagine their perception when they can't feed their families just because I'm too selfish to start mine." Anduin ran a hand through his hair. "No, the nobles knew the perfect place to hit, my hands are well and truly tied."

After another moment Wrathion chuckled.

Anduin glared at him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm assuming there were stipulations about _who_ you're to marry?"

"Yes, they gave me a list of _suitable women_ to pick from," scoffed Anduin, "with an exception for soulmates."

Wrathion grinned.

"Don't get any bright ideas Wrathion. They specifically stated any soulmate I present to them must be capable of giving me human heirs."

Wrathion rolled his eyes. "I assumed as much... though being your loophole is an amusing thought. No, clearly you must present Taelia."

The king scrubbed a hand down his face. "Light, what am I going to tell Taelia?"

"Simple, tell her you want to marry her."

Anduin sputtered, "Simple?! Wrathion, how can I ask this of her?! She deserves so much better than this! I can't--"

"Anduin, you're not going to marry any of those random women on that list. Taelia is your soulmate, you love her, you _want_ to marry her. So tell her."

Anduin tilted his head. "You seem very certain of my feelings for her. How do you know I love her?"

"Please," scoffed Wrathion, "it only took you a week to fall in love with me--"

"Hang on, it was way more than that!"

Wrathion dismissed his protest with a wave of his hand. "I know you Anduin. You're a hopeless romantic. I can only assume it was love at first hammer swing."

Anduin huffed, "We've argued about this before. Just because I believe soulbonds matter and I want to marry for love does not make me a hopeless romantic!"

"Yes it does," Wrathion laughed and looked at his soulmate fondly. "After all this time, you still haven't lost that."

Anduin blushed and looked away.

"Anduin, the solution here is obvious. You want to marry for love, so ask the woman you love to marry you."

Anduin put his hands over his face. "I can't."

Wrathion mumbled something under his breath about stubborn soulmates and sighed, "Why not?"

"I have no idea how she feels about me! There's no reason for her to want me, and she has so many things she wants to accomplish. I don't want to hold her back... and... I don't think I could handle it when she says no."

"Anduin, look at me." He reluctantly met Wrathion's eyes. "She won't say no."

"How do you know that?"

"Just trust me."

Anduin made an incredulous noise that might have hurt Wrathion's feelings more than the dragon was willing to admit.

"Anduin, I know she'll do it because we're your soulmates. There's not much we wouldn't do for you." His voice softened, "I'm trying to kill an old god for you, you don't think I'd marry you in an instant if I thought it would help anything?"

Anduin felt the coldness of distrust grip his heart.

"No. You're just saying that because that dragon told you all that nonsense about the fate of the timestream resting on winning me back." Anduin looked away. "You don't love me."

Anduin regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. It was like he'd stabbed Wrathion through the chest, he'd never seen the dragon look so hurt.

Wrathion leaned forward. "Do you remember what you said to me in Pandaria? When you offered to be my friend?"

"I--"

"Anduin Wrynn, I've loved you since the moment you said I wouldn't be alone as long as you were alive."

Anduin stared at him in shock. Could it really be true? He thought back to how Wrathion had spent every waking moment with him at the tavern after they had that conversation. Could the young dragon in his own peculiar way have been in love with him all that time?

Anduin hugged his knees to his chest. "...but you still left me."

"As our other soulmate so succinctly put it, _I didn't know what the hell I was doing._ "

Anduin let out a short laugh. "That does sound like her."

"Anduin, I've missed you every single day that we're apart. As soon as this mess with N'zoth is over and I can finally stop worrying about becoming the next Deathwing, I am coming straight back to Stormwind and I am never leaving your side again whether you want me to or not."

The walls Anduin had spent years building around his heart began to crumble. He wanted to believe Wrathion so badly. He wanted to believe that Wrathion loved him. Missing Wrathion was so excruciating that the idea of having him always near was almost enough to break through Anduin's defenses completely.

"I want to believe you, Wrathion," he whispered. "Forgive me if there's a part of me that still thinks what you're saying is too good to be true."

Wrathion nodded, but there was renewed hope on his face. "Well... I suppose I did promise the future Queen of Stormwind I would take her to see the world. Though... I would hope that I could take you too."

Anduin gave him a small smile. Always having Wrathion near, having Taelia as his queen, occasionally getting to travel with both of them... the picture of the future Wrathion was painting sounded perfect.

If only he knew how Taelia felt about it all.

"How is...," Anduin started to ask and then faltered.

Wrathion smirked at him. "She's doing fine, Anduin. She misses you too."

"Do you..." Anduin struggled to find words. "How are you two getting along?"

The dragon was quiet for a moment.

"I... can see why you fell in love with her," said Wrathion softly.

At Anduin's raised eyebrows, Wrathion cleared his throat and explained, "Ah... I mean... she's an amazing fighter. Right and Left go with her on missions and they tell me she's a natural leader. She will make an excellent queen." Wrathion sat up straighter. "Anyway... do you want me to tell her about the--?"

Anduin shook his head. "No, no, I should talk to her about everything myself. Just... let me see if there isn't a way out of it first. I don't want her feeling like she has to abandon your mission because of this."

"Very well," said Wrathion. "Don't wait too long."

Anduin nodded glumly.

Wrathion continued, "I'm sorry the nobles did this, but I'm very glad you called. I wasn't expecting to get to tell you happy birthday. In fact, there should be a gift for you around here somewhere. Check under your pillow."

"Under my--?" Anduin turned around and lifted up the pillows on his bed to find an envelope on top of some kind of black shimmery material that wasn't there this morning. Anduin sighed, "Well someone on my guard is getting fired."

Wrathion laughed.

Anduin picked up the envelope and the soft fabric which came partially unfolded in his lap. "A blanket?"

"The note explains. I made it to protect you from corruption-induced nightmares. If you sleep with it you shouldn't have them anymore."

No more corrupted nightmares. The relief that flooded Anduin was astounding. "I really appreciate this, thank you." Anduin unfolded the blanket and spread it out. "Will it work immediately? Will I be able to get undisturbed sleep tonight?"

"You should, yes."

"A good night's sleep..." Anduin almost felt like crying from relief. "Holy Light, I think that's the best present anyone has ever given me," he whispered.

"Anduin..." Wrathion gave him a worried look.

"I'm fine," said Anduin. "I'm fine. Just... thank you."

"You're welcome. I suppose I should leave you to your rest then... but please, Anduin, you can call me anytime. For any reason."

"I... I will keep that in mind," said Anduin.

Wrathion smiled. "Goodnight, Anduin. Sweet dreams."

Anduin blinked and then Wrathion was gone.

He took off the pendant and placed it back on the bedside table. He might have also tried to _loudly_ think about Wrathion for a few minutes to make sure his soulmate was really out of his head. Just in case.

It was still fairly early in the evening, but Anduin got up and finished preparing for bed. After that, he curled up under his new blanket. He buried his face in the soft fabric and took a deep breath trying to catch Wrathion's smokey scent.

 _He loves me._ Comforted by the thought, Anduin was able to push aside his worries and fall into a perfectly restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor bby, Blizzard ain't never gonna let him sleep.
> 
> So I played the pre-patch last night! Much excite. Also (spoiler) I saw how Taelia finds out about Bolvar and I am rolling! XD  
> Light bless Mathias Shaw's heart, he's doing his best.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a bit of blood and violence in this one.

"Let me go with you! All the champions have gone, and I need the practice just as much as they do!"

Wrathion shook his head and crossed his arms. "No, darling, it's an unnecessary risk."

"Everyone else has come through completely safe! Just once, Wrathion. That's all I'm asking. So that I can know what I'm dealing with."

"Safe is a relative term. More than a few were quite mentally shaken by the experience."

"I survived corrupted nightmares for months. I'm confident I can handle it!" Taelia put a hand on his arm. "Wrathion please, you'll be right there with me. We'll keep each other sane."

He didn't want to take her into the horrific vision of Stormwind, but part of him knew she was right. She could benefit from going. Fighting through the corruption of Ny'alotha was easier when one knew what to expect. The controlled environments of the horrific visions were a "safe" way of giving themselves the opportunity to experience it with MOTHER there to pull people out when things went wrong. He knew he needed to take her.

Wrathion's decision definitely had nothing to do with those pleading green eyes or that pout. Though... the hand on his arm was a fine manipulation on her part.

"Very well."

Her face lit up. Wrathion could not understand why she was so eager to experience a living nightmare, but he liked the way he felt when she smiled at him like that.

Wrathion laid out the map of Stormwind. "Here's the plan. We will start in the Dwarven District. If that goes well we will continue making our way around the city to Old Town, The Trade District, and then The Mage Quarter. If at any point you start to feel overwhelmed by the corruption, we will go straight to the Cathedral and kill the fallen Vareesa Windrunner which will signal to MOTHER that we have succeeded. You will stay with me, stay in the marked zones, and do exactly as I say. If anything bad happens, MOTHER will pull you out. Just don't panic, and remember it's not real."

"Not real. Got it."

His gaze flicked over her beautiful face with that determined set to her jaw and excitement in her eyes. It was so tempting to just steal her away and stash her safe in some lair, or take her back to Stormwind with Anduin where she would be well-guarded. But Wrathion loved her spark, and he knew to do any of that would extinguish it. He just hoped he was strong enough to enable her craving for adventure and keep her safe in the process.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Aye, sir," she said with a playful salute.

There was little else to prepare. They stepped through the gate into the "place between places" where Wrathion would cast a spell to take them into the vision.

Wrathion snaked an arm around her waist and began casting. It wasn't necessary to hold on to each other, but she didn't have to know that. He took comfort in her being pressed against his side as they were engulfed by a ball of swirling darkness.

The madness of the horrific Stormwind was always the same. They made their way through the Cathedral Square and witnessed Turalyon dying on the stairs, begging them to save his son, Arator. Fighting through the corrupted cultists and void monsters, they made their way to the Dwarven District as planned and met up with Kelsey Steelspark. Wrathion easily guided them through defeating the combatants in the area and setting the bombs, and soon they began heading towards Old Town.

Taelia did well, moving from one group of void creatures to the next. The corruption was not affecting her as badly as he expected and everything was going according to plan.

That is... everything was going according to plan until they were passing the gate of Stormwind Keep.

Taelia stopped when she should have kept moving.

Wrathion turned around. "Taelia...," he warned.

"What's in there Wrathion?"

"I don't know. We don't need to go in there. There are some visions I'd rather not see."

She put down her hammer. "But Wrathion--"

He sheathed his sword and took her by the arms. "Taelia, please. Please don't make me go in there."

She reached up and placed a hand on his chest above his heart. "Wrathion, I think we need to."

He hung his head.

"Of all the things N'zoth could throw at us, this is the one that would have the most effect," said Taelia. "We need to see it. We need to know what the worst could be."

He looked up and met her eyes. Even in the shadows, he could see the conviction written on her face. He knew she would not be swayed.

Wasn't he supposed to be the master manipulator around here? Wrathion sighed, "You're getting far too good at that, darling."

She smirked and turned to pick up her hammer. "Come on, we'll do this quick okay?"

They climbed the steps to Stormwind Keep. Never had Wrathion felt such intensity from Varian Wrynn's statue glaring down at him.

The walk up the grand hall was quiet and still. They moved forward cautiously but encountered nothing. The only sounds were the echoes of their footsteps.

Wrathion felt like he was walking to his execution.

He thought he was prepared to crest the ramp and enter the throne room. He had imagined many times what he might see if he ever entered the keep. Anduin dead, tortured, or transformed into some sort of horrific creature had all been considerations. What Wrathion was not expecting was... just Anduin.

He was standing there with his back to them up on the dais facing his throne. He was dressed like normal. Shalamayne hung from his left hand and his head was bowed, perhaps looking at something in his right hand which they couldn't see.

There was something wrong. The bright golden light that should have been emanating from the sword was absent. Instead, there was a ball of purplish-black void energy that crept up the hilt and licked at Anduin's arm.

Wrathion put a hand out to stop Taelia and they stood in the middle of the room.

They waited. It was usually better not to talk to the visions.

Too late, Wrathion noticed the blood on the floor.

"So my soulmates return," came the soft voice of Anduin.

 _It's not real,_ Wrathion told himself, _he's not real._

Wrathion's resolve died when Anduin turned around. He heard Taelia gasp beside him.

Blood dripped from the sword. Looking at Anduin's right arm showed why. The right sleeve of his coat had been slashed off at the elbow. Blood and shadows poured from the mangled flesh where his soulmarks should have been.

Anduin's face showed no concern.

He took slow steps towards them, the tip of Shalamayne dragged on the floor with an awful scraping noise. Wrathion felt frozen in place as Anduin stepped up to them.

"You look so surprised." Anduin met Wrathion's gaze. His blue eyes were hard and empty. "I just couldn't bear to look at my marks anymore, but soon enough the master will remove the soulmark _curse_ from the world. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"No, I--"

Anduin looked at Taelia. "Did you know he tried to sever our bonds? He never wanted us _mortals_."

She turned her surprised eyes to him.

"Taelia--"

"No matter," sighed Anduin. "Now that you're here I can sever our bonds myself."

Anduin plunged Shalamayne into Wrathion's chest before he could react. Taelia screamed and lunged towards them only to be caught around the throat by Anduin's bloody right hand. Shadow tendrils shot out from his arm and lifted her up, dangling her off the floor by her neck. Her hammer fell from her hands as she reached up to try and loosen his hold.

"Anduin, please--," she choked out before the tendrils tightened, cutting her off.

"NO! YOU BOTH ABANDONED ME, JUST AS THE LIGHT DID!"

Anduin twisted the sword further into Wrathion's chest. He coughed and tasted iron. Wrathion's own sword clattered to the floor as he fell to his knees and grasped at Anduin's arm.

"Anduin, I'm sorry--"

Anduin's face went blank and emotionless again as he looked down at Wrathion skewered on the end of Shalamayne. "It's too late for apologies. You will _never_ have my forgiveness." Anduin glanced at the struggling warrior in his grasp and a slow smile spread on his face. "And now you'll watch as I take her from you _like you took her from me_."

Wrathion was helpless to do anything as the shadows choked the life from Taelia.

"NO!" Wrathion shouted, blood pouring from his lips.

That's when MOTHER pulled them out.

* * *

Wrathion opened his eyes to find himself laid out on the floor of the heart chamber. He sat up and put a hand over the spot where Shalamayne had stabbed, the phantom pain still lingering.

At the sound of coughing, he looked over to where Taelia crouched on the floor struggling to convince her lungs that they had plenty of air. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

He crawled over to her and pulled her into his arms.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding each other in a shivering ball on the floor. As she sobbed into his chest, his own tears rolled silently down his cheeks and soaked into her hair.

"I'm sorry, Wrathion. I'm so sorry...," she murmured after her sobbing dissipated.

"Shh, it wasn't real." Wrathion held her tighter.

"It wasn't real," she repeated quietly, perhaps trying to convince herself too. "It wasn't him. He... he doesn't really feel like that."

She drew back and looked at him, searching for confirmation.

"It wasn't him," Wrathion said back to her. "It will never be him. We're going to put a stop to this madness. We're going to make sure that vision _never_ happens. We're going to kill N'zoth. Soon. We're going to kill him and then go back to Anduin. I can't... I can't live without the both of you anymore."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me, the title of this chapter's outline was literally "the rarepair do a stupid." What can I say? Anduin has a type.
> 
> Warning for explicit sexual content.

Taelia snuck off as soon as Wrathion was distracted. It wasn't difficult. As soon as they finished drying their tears, he got up and began to figure out when the soonest they could be ready to raid Ny'alotha.

Shutting herself in her room, she decided to shower even though she knew the horrific vision fights hadn't been real. Scrubbing the nonexistent blood and sweat from her skin made her feel a bit better though. Afterward, she changed into her nightgown and wrapped herself in the blanket. Then the weight of what happened hit her.

She had _died._

She had watched the man she loved stab the dragon she was quickly falling in love with through the chest and then he choked her to death. Anduin had _killed_ her and it had felt so real.

 _It's not real. It's not real,_ was the mantra she kept repeating to herself, but the words Anduin had said to her kept coming back...

_He tried to sever our bonds... He never wanted us..._

The worst lies were the ones that had an air of truth to them.

She'd spent most of her life exiled on Kul Tiras feeling abandoned and unwanted. While she was thankful for the little family she and Cyrus had forged, Taelia had always clung to the hope that her soulmates were out there waiting and wanting her too. The idea that one of her soulmates had gone so far as to try and get rid of their bond hurt her more than she cared to admit.

She didn't move from her bed or make a noise when she heard the soft tapping at her door.

"Darling I know you're in there. We need to talk," came the voice of her soulmate.

Reluctantly dragging herself from under the blanket she opened the door to him. The dim light of the compound cast shadows on his face that made him look even wearier than he already was. Despite the hurt, she felt the urge to reach out and comfort him but refrained.

"Two days," he said as he entered. "In two days we're ending this and we can go back to him."

Taelia hugged her arms and nodded, not saying anything.

His eyes seemed to bore into her. "I know what you're wondering," he said. "Ask me."

Taelia startled a bit, then she took a deep breath to steel herself, and asked, "Is it true? Did you try to get rid of our marks?"

"I did," answered Wrathion.

The tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. "Why?"

"I was the only uncorrupted black dragon and started my life with a list of relatives to kill. I thought I would be doing a couple of humans a favor by not being in their lives."

"It's true then. You didn't want us." Taelia tried to quickly brush away the tears before they fell.

"I was fresh out of my egg. I didn't know." Wrathion took a step towards her.

Taelia took a step back and held up her hand to halt him. "No, Wrathion! I need to know we're more than just _little mortals_ to you! I need to know you're going to be there for Anduin! He needs you so much, I don't think you even realize how much! I need to know that you want us, that you want _me!_ "

Wrathion looked at her for a moment with his piercing gaze.

"You don't trust me. Neither does Anduin. I understand. I've done nothing to deserve your trust..." Wrathion looked away, seemingly lost in thought. "Taelia, would allow me to show you something? It will take me a few minutes to set up, but I think it will help."

Taelia blinked a few times in confusion, not at all expecting that response. "I... what is it?"

"A visual aid. You'll see."

Wrathion conjured a piece of chalk, pulling it out of the air before crouching on the floor in the middle of her room. He swiped his hand across the smooth surface to clear any dust and started drawing a circle.

Taelia watched with curiosity as he drew odd tick marks and symbols around what looked like a ritual circle. "How long will this take?"

"About ten minutes to prepare the spell." He kept drawing.

Taelia went to her bed and sat down to observe him. Watching him make the precise marks was oddly satisfying even if she did wonder what he was planning on showing her that would supposedly help. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust Wrathion, or that she wasn't already beginning to, but she was worried about the future. How were they going to build a relationship together if they couldn't trust each other to commit to their bond? However... Wrathion wasn't the only one responsible for that. Guilt settled into the bottom of her stomach as she remembered her own actions. After all, as the horrific-vision Anduin so aptly reminded her, she had abandoned him too.

"Do you think he really feels like that?" she whispered.

"Like what?"

"Like we abandoned him."

Wrathion paused for a moment and looked up at her. "No, I think that was N'zoth trying to sow discord between us. Anduin misses us, but he knows he can call us if he needs to. I don't think he feels abandoned."

His words made sense, alleviating some of her worries. She nodded and watched him keep drawing.

A minute later, he made the last mark and stood up, checking over his work carefully. Satisfied, he sliced the air with his hand and opened up a rift in space. He reached in and pulled out a rose-colored crystal ball small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. The rift closed as he set the sphere in the middle of the chalk ritual circle he'd just finished. Miraculously it didn't roll away but stayed perfectly balanced in the center of the circle where he placed it.

Wrathion straightened and held a hand over the set-up, speaking words she guessed were draconic. As he chanted, the dim light around them seemed to drain into the circle, gradually plunging the subterranean room into absolute darkness.

Taelia barely had time to feel uncomfortable in the pitch black before he spoke the last words of his spell and suddenly she was blinking to adjust to a bright light that flared from the circle. It shined through the crystal to project an image throughout the room.

Spiraling up from the crystal was a continuous stream of glittering light. The illusion of the holographic display made it appear as if it went on forever. It was beautiful. She had no idea what she was looking at, but the sight took her breath away.

Taelia stood up and moved closer to the center of the room where the light stream was most visible. It seemed to be laced with what looked like golden bundles of cords flowing and braiding together in intricate patterns creating lattices through which the light threw artistic shapes onto her walls.

"What is this?" she asked softly.

"This is our timestream," he said with a gesture. "At least, this is the best approximation that a half-bronze dragon could come up with to help me understand our timestream."

Taelia moved her hand experimentally through the light illusion touching nothing but air. One end of the stream seemed clouded from view and she guessed that represented the unforeseeable future. It dawned on her that this probably wasn't something a lot of beings got to see. "Why are you showing me this?"

Wrathion waved his hand and the image changed, zooming in on a section of the stream. He traced his fingers over it and Taelia began to make out three thin strands highlighted in red against the billions of others.

"This is us," said Wrathion.

Taelia's eyes widened as they followed where his fingers traced.

Wrathion pointed at the shortest of the three red strands. "When I first hatched I attempted many things to try and get rid of my marks, but what I didn't realize was the marks are just a sign of a preexisting bond between soulmates." He paused to pull up his sleeve and show his soulmarks. "Even if I didn't have these, the bond between us would still exist. Barring some irrevocable altering of our souls, they will always exist.

"After learning that the bonds were unbreakable I decided I would live as if they did not exist despite the warning I received against doing such a thing. You see, I also didn't know that there's a power in the bonds. That together they help hold the fabric of our reality together. However... even if that had been explained to me, I'm not sure I would have listened."

He continued tracing along the shortest red line to where it crossed with one of the longer ones. "I was so angry with myself when I fell in love with Anduin. I will admit that some of the choices I made were to prove that I could still be objective in my decision-making."

The picture turned as he traced along the two lines revealing an odd section of the stream. It looked like a tear. Many threads, including the two red ones Wrathion followed, diverged around the opening and did not reconverge on the other side. "I knew I had made a mistake almost immediately, but I convinced myself that I would only make things worse if I tried to go back. It didn't help that I was a fugitive in the eyes of the Alliance, but in truth, I was too afraid of facing him."

Wrathion pointed at the place where the two longer lines finally touched. "It was about the time I felt you and Anduin had met that I was approached by a powerful dragon and shown what I'm showing you now. It was only after seeing this that I fully understood the consequences of my actions. I was warned that the consequences would be far worse if I continued to neglect my bonds."

Wrathion had paused, but Taelia reached up and continued tracing until all three of the red strands met. They intersected and twisted loosely around each other, but when she looked closely, she realized they weren't actually touching.

"Our bond seems rather weak compared to some of these other ones," remarked Taelia.

"The strengthening will come with time and proximity," said Wrathion with a small smile. "The reason I'm showing you this is because I want you to understand as I do how important our bonds are. No one can sever them. Even if you can't trust me, you can trust in that."

She watched his brow furrow as he continued to look at the image, his eyes on the rift in the timestream he'd been partially responsible for.

"Wrathion," she said, drawing his eyes back to her, "you're not ignoring your bonds anymore. Everything you're doing now is in the hope that you can be with us, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust us to tell you when we think you might be going down that path again? Will you promise to be by our sides so we can do that?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I will, for as long as you live."

Taelia reached across the light stream and took his hand. "Then you have my trust."

Wrathion stared at her, stunned. Those were words he never thought he'd hear from a soulmate. She didn't realize it, but with those words she had sealed her place in his heart forever.

Without another thought, he surged forward and kissed her.

Surprised by the sudden intensity, Taelia hesitated a moment before relaxing into his arms, her eyes fluttering shut. She let him draw her in, expecting him to stop at any moment, but the kisses only grew more heated.

It wasn't until he was tugging at her nightgown and guiding her through the sparkling light back towards the bed that she realized he wasn't going to stop. And she didn't want him to. There was a feeling in her chest like a magnet pulling her to him. The closer they got, the harder it became to resist. Somewhere at the back of her mind, there was a little voice that whispered perhaps she should be the responsible one, perhaps she should stop them. Her mind raced with questions. _Should we be doing this? What would Anduin think?_

He felt her hesitation and paused to take her face in his hands and look deep into her eyes. "You said you need to know that I want you. Let me rid you of any doubt."

Wrathion brushed back her hair, gave her a soft kiss and her mind went blank, inhibitions evaporated.

"Okay," she whispered against his lips and let her need take over.

It took him seconds to pull her nightgown up and off, dropping it onto the floor, leaving her in only her underthings. Meanwhile, she fumbled to just untie the red sash at his waist.

She broke from his kiss and scanned his complicated ensemble. "You are wearing far too many clothes with far too many knots."

"Easily fixable," he said with a grin. In the blink of an eye, he was in a similar state of undress as her.

"Is that what you do when you shift into your other form?" she asked as she eyed the skin on display.

"It's a spell with many uses."

Wrathion was gorgeous and that damn smirk on his face told her that he knew it too. She reached out and touched his toned arms, sliding her hands up to his wide shoulders then ghosted her fingers down his chest following the trail of dark hair. Her touch stopped at the edge of the silky undershorts he wore.

He was happy to let her eyes and hands wander. "Does this form please you?"

"I, um..." Her hands hovered at his waistband, suddenly a little afraid to reveal the growing bulge beneath her fingers.

"Go on," he said with quiet amusement, his own fingertips stroked her sides before teasing at the edge of the simple cotton she was wearing.

She lifted the waistband over the head of his cock and pulled down, letting the shorts fall to the floor. Taelia let out the breath she'd been holding, relieved to find the dragon hid no unexpected features. In fact, he was as perfect as she expected a proud shapeshifter to be.

"Yes... your form... very pleasing," she breathed.

"Good," Wrathion chuckled and drew her closer so he could reach around and undo her breast bindings. It wasn't long before her own undergarments joined the pile on the floor, and he was tipping her backward onto the blanket he had made for her.

The timestream image still rotating in the center of the room casting pieces of light that moved over every surface. Wrathion paused a moment just to look at her in the shimmering light, eyes roaming over every inch of her.

"Beautiful," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her neck, teeth grazing the soft skin.

His smoldering skin on hers took her breath away. He caressed the side of her breast then slid his fingers down her side, over the curve of her hip, and down her thigh. Following his guidance, she hooked her leg over his hip. She canted her own hips up seeking some sort of friction, but he continued to teasingly touch her while lightly grinding against her stomach.

"Wrathion... come on...," she begged and bit down on his shoulder.

"Hm, so impatient."

Taelia huffed, "I think I've waited long enough."

With the leverage she had from her leg hooked around him she twisted and knocked him onto his back, straddling his hips. She took his wrists and pinned them above his head. The surprise on his face gave her a very pleasant rush of power.

She leaned down and whispered into his ear, "You know I'm still not happy with you for leaving me shackled to a wall."

Wrathion's eyes shined in amusement up at her. She was strong, but he was a dragon. He knew he could pull from her grasp with ease, but he relaxed in her hold and let her take her pleasure, moaning as she grinded down on him, spreading her wetness onto his cock.

"Come on... You... ah! You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Wrathion gasped.

"That's not the point!" she said with a roll of her hips that made his eyes slide closed and breath hitch.

Feeling him surrender beneath her, she let go of his wrists since she had better things to do with her hands. She reached down and squeezed his cock, giving it a few experimental strokes all the while rubbing it against her folds.

He threw his head back and groaned. His hands abandoned the position above his head where she'd placed them and flew to grasp her hips. "Titans, Taelia!"

As much as she enjoyed his reactions, she didn't want to tease him long. She was too desperate to complete their connection. With one hand pressed down on his hip and one hand on his cock, she put the head at her entrance.

"Don't move," she commanded.

Carefully she moved her hips down and gasped as his cock head slipped inside her. She felt his hands squeeze her hips, but he otherwise obeyed and remained still to let her adjust to his thickness. He wasn't easy to take, but she was wet and ready and let herself take her time enjoying the feeling of each inch filling her.

She shuddered when their hips met and he was fully seated inside. Bracing herself with her hands against his chest, she looked up at the sound of the low growling noise he made and met his eyes. He was straining with resistance, trying so hard to follow her lead and not just _take_ her.

"I think my dragon likes being ridden like this...," she teased.

Wrathion smiled wickedly as she leaned down to kiss him.

She lifted herself up a bit before sliding back down, starting slow before riding him faster and faster. She smiled at the string of curses he ground out as she set the hard and fast pace that she craved. Soon he was moving his own hips in time, thrusting up into her and giving as good as he got even from below.

Wrathion was amazed. The feelings were like nothing he had ever felt before. He could actually sense the bond between them strengthen. He looked over her shoulder to the image of the timestream and saw two red threads twisting closer together and tighten. But there was still something obvious missing, a space in his heart where something else was also supposed to be. He wondered if Taelia could feel it too, the other piece of their souls missing from the connection.

_Anduin is going to kill me._

As that thought crossed his mind he suddenly remembered something very important.

Wrathion sat up, flipped Taelia onto her back, and pulled out of her. She made frustrated and confused noises when he put his hand over her abdomen, letting it flare with a soft purple light as he mumbled a few words to a spell.

"What is that?!"

"Probably an unnecessary precaution, but I'm not interested in finding out first hand if humans and dragons can procreate quite yet."

"What--? Aaaah!" she gasped as he sank into her once again, returning to her demanding pace, and aiming for the sweet spot inside to make her scream. He reached down and teased her clit, encouraging even more of those wonderful desperate noises she was making. He could feel her getting closer, tightening around him.

"Come on, darling. Come for me," he murmured, keeping up his urgent thrusting, resisting the urge to come himself.

She gripped the blanket below and arched against the bed as she obeyed, tipping over the edge, waves of pleasure and relief washing over her. He followed close behind, moaning as he spilled into her after a few more haphazard thrusts.

They came down from the high slowly, looking into each other's eyes as they caught their breaths. Taelia reached up, took a handful of his hair, used it to pull his mouth down to hers. They kissed languidly, enjoying the aftershocks of their lovemaking.

Oversensitive, she shuddered in pleasure as he pulled out and rolled to the side to lie on his back next to her.

She turned and watched the lights from the timestream play across his handsome face.

"You've done that before," she said softly.

He turned his head to her and smirked. "As have you."

"Once. A friend and I made the mistake of trying to be more. I was lonely."

"I understand. Let's just say curiosity got the better of me at a brothel in Silvermoon."

"Do you think Anduin will be upset that we didn't save ourselves for soulmates like he did?"

"I won't tell him if you don't."

"But if he asks..."

"Only if he asks."

* * *

Left had just finished a patrol through the heart compound when she came back to find Right standing at their door grinning like an idiot.

"You owe me five gold," said her soulmate.

Left rolled her eyes. "I never agreed to that bet. Where are they?"

"Her room," said Right with a nod down the hall. "I think something in the horrific vision finally broke them. I bet you another five gold Lion-Boy shows up sometime within the next week."

"That is a bet I will take. The king would be a fool to leave Stormwind at a time like this."

"Maybe, but I'm willing to bet he hasn't changed so much since Pandaria."

Left snorted. "We shall see, ha'mash. We shall see."

* * *

Anduin was in the middle of a dreamless sleep when his eyes flew open and he awoke to his heart pounding and the inability to catch his breath. He sat straight up and looked around trying to figure out what had awoken him.

He gasped when a pang of pure pleasure shot through him, and he looked down to find he was half-staff and getting more turned on by the second.

"What the--?" Anduin felt a warmth emanating from the soulmarks on his wrist, and it dawned on him what his soulmates were doing at that very moment.

"Light _fucking_ damn them!" he cursed as he got out of bed.

Anduin stumbled to the bathroom, went to the sink, and splashed cold water on his face. He groaned and gripped the edge of the bathroom counter as the next swell of desire made his knees go weak.

He stuck his entire head under the cold stream of water which did absolutely nothing to alleviate the feelings wracking his body.

 _Is this how it's going to be every time?!_ He toweled off and staggered back to bed, mumbling to himself about how unacceptable this was.

Anduin laid down on the bed sweating even without any covers. The touch of cloth on his skin was almost irritating so he took off his shorts but stubbornly refused to touch his now fully erect hard-on.

He looked at the ceiling, trying to think of something, anything that might make himself calm down. _All the paperwork I have to do tomorrow... Genn flirting with Mia... Vapid noblewomen... Trade Prince Gallywix..._

It didn't matter what he thought of, his mind kept returning to what they were doing. He couldn't help but picture them together. Wrathion's large form moving above her... Taelia's fingers tangling in his gorgeous thick hair... Both of them making absolutely sinful sounds... faces contorted in pleasure...

"Fine!" he exclaimed to the air before taking himself in hand. He moaned and threw his head back against the pillow as he gave himself much-needed strokes.

The images kept coming to his mind as he wondered what they'd done, what they were like together, what they'd be like with him. He _wanted_ them so much. He was imagining what it would be like for both their mouths to be on him at the same time when the next rush of pleasure sent him crashing into his orgasm and coming over his stomach with a muffled shout.

Anduin laid on the bed panting. Momentary relief melted into the usual mixture of shame and disgust as he looked down at himself.

Then a different feeling started to take root in his chest. He felt a pull, an overwhelming unmistakable urge to _go to them_.

"We're supposed to be together! I GET IT!" he yelled before turning on his light and carefully getting out of bed to clean himself up.

After taking care of that, he went to his closet and got dressed. It might have been the middle of the night, but he had a lot of work to do if he was going to sneak out of Stormwind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ha'mash = "my heart" in orcish (at least we're going to pretend it is). I based it on WoWWiki's "Orcish" page.
> 
> Left and Right are totally soulmates. I imagine they both got kicked out of wherever they're from because Right had an orcish soulmark and Left had a common one and Wrathion gave them an opportunity to work for him and be together in relative peace. On top of getting paid really well, I imagine they took one look at that silly little whelp and were like "we're adopting him, this kid needs help." It would make a great story, maybe someone should write it one day...
> 
> Also yay SHADOWLANDS!! This is my first expansion release (I've been playing WoW a little over a year now) and I'm having a blast! I'm not very far in the story yet though so no spoilers. As of writing this note I just hit level 60 and chose my covenant.
> 
> Between playing, Thanksgiving, and the importance of the next chapter I can't promise it'll be out within the next week, but hopefully the little extra wait will be worth it ;)
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so Shadowlands has consumed my soul.
> 
> All this talk of soulbinds though... veeeeeery interesting.

Mathias Shaw woke up at the crack of dawn and started his day like any other. After removing himself from the embrace of his half-asleep soulmate, he put on his uniform and got ready for work.

"It's too damn early. Stay in bed."

"You say that every morning," responded Shaw as he kissed Flynn goodbye.

He walked through Old Town, stopping to buy banana bread for breakfast from Thomas Miller on his way to SI:7 headquarters.

"G'morning, boss," greeted Renzik as Shaw entered his office and picked up the morning's paperwork.

"What's the crisis for today?" asked Shaw as he sorted through the mail. He raised an eyebrow at a summons from Anduin marked urgent.

"Morning's been quiet actually."

Shaw frowned. Quiet mornings usually meant the trouble hadn't happened yet.

"His majesty has summoned me to the keep at my earliest convenience. No telling how long it will take."

"Better go now. We'll hold down the fort here!"

Taking the private access from the headquarters to the keep, Shaw wondered if this meeting had anything to do with what the advisors had all taken to calling "The Great Quandary" behind closed doors. The marriage requirement placed on Anduin by the House of Nobles had been a source of stress for more than just the young king. Shaw had been spending a lot of time lately helping Anduin look for an extension or way out of the situation. He considered it a personal failure on the part of himself and his informants that he'd been unable to give his king more forewarning about the nobles' intentions.

Shaw would gladly help Anduin search for an alternate solution, but he was also not afraid of expressing his opinion on which path the king _should_ take. Much to Shaw's annoyance, Anduin had so far refused to take the sound advice of everyone around him to just bring Taelia back to Stormwind and start planning the wedding. Of course, no one had bothered to ask the spymaster whether or not the girl should have been allowed to go off with the dragon in the first place...

"Taelia's going to do what she wants," Flynn had said after reading the letter she'd left him. "Don't worry Matt, she'll be back. She wouldn't have left Galeheart here otherwise."

That had done little to comfort Shaw as he watched his young king slip further into melancholia.

Walking into Anduin's study that morning, Shaw's level of concern for his king raised another few notches. The boy was sitting behind his desk which was covered by an abnormally large mountain of paperwork, and he clearly hadn't slept. That was strange, Anduin had seemed like he'd been getting better rest lately. Based on his bleary eyes, that hadn't been the case last night.

Before Anduin even said a word, Shaw felt in his gut that something was off.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," said Anduin, "Can you take care of these?" He picked up a set of papers from one of the smallest stacks on his desk and handed it to Shaw.

"What's this for, your majesty?"

Anduin sighed, "I'm trying to make sure the SI:7 carries a special designation apart from the military. Should the worst-case scenario happen and the nobles carry out their threat, your organization won't be affected. Having spies in doubt of their next paycheck isn't something I want, even if the deadline is a year away."

"Very prudent," responded the spymaster. He watched as Anduin continued what he was doing. The king seemed to be going through a large stack of papers, skimming them quickly, and sorting them into different piles. "Your majesty, may I ask what you're doing?"

Anduin startled and looked up again. "Oh... I... just decided to work through my backlog is all."

"This doesn't look like your typical system," observed Shaw.

"Um... I'm trying something new... something faster," explained Anduin.

"I see."

There was a knock at the open office door as the king's secretary poked her head in. "Your majesty, the House has sent another courier to try and arrange a meeting with you. Should I send him away again?"

Anduin barely glanced up from his paperwork, "Yes, unless they wish to discuss _actual_ policy..."

The secretary nodded and began to leave when Anduin suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Wait! When are they requesting the meeting?"

"I believe they were willing to be flexible, your majesty. The gentleman seems eager to arrange it as soon as possible."

Anduin leaned on his desk with both hands. "How's my schedule looking at six bells tomorrow morning?"

The secretary blinked and said nothing for a moment as if waiting for Anduin to tell her he was kidding.

He didn't.

"It's free, your majesty."

"Perfect! Schedule the meeting for then."

"Are you--I mean--of course... your majesty," she sputtered as she exited.

Shaw's brow furrowed. Yes, there was definitely something strange happening with the king. Why would he schedule a meeting with the nobles at six in the morning?

"Anduin... are you feeling all right?" asked Shaw.

Things were serious when the spymaster got his first name involved, but Anduin simply smiled. "I'm perfectly fine. Is there anything I can do for you before you go?"

Shaw narrowed his eyes at the obvious attempt at a brush-off but decided not to push further questioning. "No, I'll take my leave. I'll have these papers done by the end of today."

He returned to headquarters and sat at his desk thinking about the strange meeting. Shaw's instincts were screaming at him that something was off, but he just couldn't pin down what. He'd seen Anduin tired, that was nothing new, but Anduin furiously throwing himself into work when under stress was not something he'd seen before. Shaw knew that the king's usual coping strategy involved keeping everything bottled up and acting as if nothing were wrong.

The expedited paper sorting was also very odd. Anduin was usually so attentive to his responsibilities. Had the young king finally reached a breaking point? Shaw wracked his brain trying to think of what might have caused it but could think of nothing. The stress from the war was nothing new, and Anduin had even seemed like he was handling the pressures from the nobles fairly well.

The problem bothered Shaw all day, he almost didn't notice Flynn swagger into his office around dinner time.

"I'm in the mood for a bite out, what do you say?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, that sounds nice," Shaw responded absent-mindedly and began to put away his work.

Flynn clutched his nonexistent pearls dramatically and exclaimed, "I'm astonished! No arguing? No 'we have food at home?' What happened today?"

"Nothing actually," said Shaw with a shrug. "That's the problem. I've just had this feeling all day... like there's something I'm missing..."

Flynn shook his head. "There you go again creating problems where there aren't any. I'm telling you Matt, it's time for a vacation."

"Good luck getting him to take one," interrupted Renzik as he entered the office, "I keep telling him the same thing."

"Maybe together we can wear him down," said Flynn to the goblin.

Shaw just rolled his eyes. "What is it, Renzik?"

"You know how you told me to tell you if there was anything I thought was weird about his majesty's behavior?"

Shaw tensed. "Yes?"

"Would the king canceling all his meetings with foreign dignitaries for the next week count as weird?"

Suddenly all the pieces he'd been puzzling over snapped into place as he remembered Anduin's _other_ coping mechanism.

"Shit! He's going to run!" exclaimed Shaw as he darted for the door.

* * *

It took him all night and day, but Anduin got his paperwork in order. He came up with a system where all the documents were sorted into one of three piles. Stack number one was his top priority--lives hung in the balance--had to be done immediately. Stack two was important but didn't need his particular input and would be left with Genn and the other advisors. Stack three could burn for all he cared.

He attended his meetings throughout the day like usual and tried to act normal... though he probably shouldn't have scheduled that stupid early-morning meeting with the nobles he had no intention of showing up for in front of Shaw. His spymaster was way too suspicious. Anduin was surprised that Shaw had seemed content to let it go.

The day passed, and soon enough his working hours were over and it was almost dinner time. Anduin went to his room and packed a bag with a healer's kit, his disguise, and a few other necessities. At the very last minute, he remembered to go to his bedside table and put on the pendant Wrathion had given him.

The next step was sneaking down to the kitchens where he filched enough travel-worthy food to last him a day or so. From the kitchens, he pulled aside one of the maids to take a note to Jaina, asking the mage to meet him behind the gryphon stables.

He made his way to Galeheart's stall, avoiding attention from any of the stablehands. Luckily, most had already gone home for the day.

"Hey, Galeheart," he whispered and began quickly changing into his commoner's clothes, complete with hair-color-changing amulet. She must have known something was happening because Gale actually perked up and watched him curiously.

"Yeah, you ready to go find Taelia?"

Saying Taelia's name definitely got Galeheart's attention. The bird stood up, shook out her feathers, and affectionately headbutted him into the wall.

"Ahh!! Okay I know! Just let me get this saddle on you..."

Remembering what the gryphon master had said about Galeheart trying to escape, Anduin hoped he had enough flight training to control her long enough to get to where they needed to go. She practically vibrated with excitement but seemed calm enough to let him take her reins and lead her out of the stables behind the building.

They rounded the corner to find Jaina leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and an amused expression on her face.

"Good evening, _Jerek_. Planning on going somewhere?"

"Hey Jaina," greeted Anduin a bit sheepishly. "I was wondering if that offer you made about the portal to Uldum was still good?"

"Took you long enough," said Jaina and began casting. Once the portal shimmered into existence, she turned to Anduin and looked him over. "Do you have everything you need? You have your hearthstone?"

Anduin nodded. "Yes, I have my hearthstone. I have more than enough supplies. How long will it take me to fly to Silithius from where the portal opens?"

"Not long. No more than an hour," she answered. "The portal will put you just outside of Ramkahen. Just fly up with Galeheart and go North. Follow the sword, you can't miss it." Jaina sighed, and like a fussy mother hen adjusted the hood over his head. "Be careful Anduin. Be safe. Use the hearthstone if there's any sign of danger."

"I will. I'll only be gone a few days at most. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Good. You're not the only one who misses her around here. I--"

They were interrupted by the sound of a large body crashing through the bushes.

"Oh, good evening Lord Admiral... your majesty...," said Flynn Fairwind cordially as if this were a normal place to be running into them. He took in the sight of the open portal and Anduin in his disguise holding the reins of Galeheart. A look of realization crossed the captain's face. "AH HA! I knew it! Go! Go, now! You've got about five seconds before--"

"PROUDMORE! DON'T CLOSE THAT PORTAL!" shouted a very disgruntled spymaster as he came sprinting around the stable corner.

"Go! I'll take care of everything, don't worry," urged Jaina.

Without another moment's hesitation, Anduin and Galeheart went through the portal which promptly snapped closed behind them.

* * *

The dry heat of the desert air hit Anduin. He looked around and found himself standing alone next to a sandstone building.

He looked behind him and swiped a hand through the air where the portal was. It was really gone. He wasn't in Stormwind anymore.

Anduin let out a giddy laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this alone. He'd never done anything like this. The last time he'd done anything remotely similar had been sneaking off to Broken Shore to see where his father had died, but even then he had taken a champion with him. Even with his escapades to the local taverns as Jerek, he always felt the relative security of being in public. Not to mention that it was home and at the very center of Alliance territory.

He took a deep breath and enjoyed the feeling of freedom. However, his enjoyment quickly dissipated as he realized it was dark here, and it shouldn't have been. He looked up at the sky and a feeling of dread settled into his stomach. The air was an inky purple... just like in his corrupted nightmares.

He hopped on Galeheart and took to the sky. Circling a few times above Ramkahen, he realized the haze extended out beyond the city. He caught glimpses of strange platforms and floating obelisks in the air above the river's dam. Below him, the city seemed to be busy with the activity of battle preparations. He knew the area had been struggling with the attacks from the Black Empire and decided he probably shouldn't stay longer than necessary.

Using the compass embedded in the pommel of Galeheart's saddle, he directed them North. He noticed a strange mountain that loomed in front of him and thought it must be Mount Hyjal. He shook his head. _That can't be right._ He understood enough geography to know it would be impossible to see Hyjal from this end of Kalimdor. Then he gasped, struck with the realization that the large looming shadow wasn't a mountain at all, but Sargeras's sword, and the reports he'd read really hadn't done it justice.

 _How is there not more damage?!_ Anduin realized how very lucky they all were to be alive. He sent a quick thankful prayer to the Light for the miracle that the stabbing hadn't been done somewhere far more devastating.

He only had a moment to let the horror wash over him before Galeheart suddenly gave a loud caw and jerked against the reins pulling off to the West.

"No Gale, we've got to go _towards_ the scary sword! Don't you want to see Taelia?"

After wrestling with the reins for another moment, he managed to get her back on track.

They flew low enough to avoid the strange worm-like creatures patrolling the air, but not so low as to attract attention from the ground. It gave him the opportunity to observe the terrain. After all, he'd never been to Uldum before and might not get another opportunity, he figured he might as well enjoy the sights.

He really couldn't blame Taelia for her desire for adventure. In another life, he could have seen himself seeking the same things.

Anduin's thoughts drifted to her and the constant pull in his chest driving him to find his soulmates. He was worried about them. All day he had felt a strange anxiety building within him. He had this feeling that they needed him, that he needed to get to them soon.

However, that didn't diminish his frustration with them. He couldn't help it, he was mad they had sex. He was even angrier at himself for being mad about the fact that they did it _without him_. Despite the fact that the thought of having them both in bed at the same time made his brain short-circuit like a poorly made gnomish device, he _wanted_ it. He _wanted_ that closeness with them, with both of them. Despite the fact that there was still a small distrustful part of him that warned against letting himself be charmed by Wrathion _again_ , he couldn't help but melt at the thought of having his dragon nearby, not suffering the ache of missing him day after day after day...

His thoughts got interrupted as he and Galeheart passed over a very concerning sight below them.

Amidst the sea of sand, there was a set of pillars that looked demolished by a gigantic crab-like creature lying in the center of the wreckage. It appeared to be dead. Anduin saw dozens of armored fighters swarming the area and guessed a battle to kill the monstrosity had just taken place. There were several shapes of bodies lying on the ground, and he saw people calling portals and mounts to take the injured away. The flying ones seemed to be taking off and heading in the same direction he was.

Anduin hoped that meant he was going the right way and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. He hoped his soulmates hadn't taken part in what had clearly been a dangerous fight, and gently spurred Galeheart to fly faster.

He followed the fighters to the base of the sword and the place Anduin only knew from reports as the Chamber of the Heart.

It was in chaos.

There were people of all races running everywhere. Commanders were shouting orders to fighters deploying them to different areas of the desert. The injured were being unloaded from mounts and carried through portals and put on stretchers to be triaged by a group of healers.

Anduin recognized it as the kind of organized chaos that ruled a battlefront.

He did his best to stay out of the way of the people rushing around, and walked up to a man who looked to be some sort of stable master in charge of the mounts.

"Sir, could you tell me what's going on?" asked Anduin, as he handed the man Galeheart's reins and some gold for his trouble.

"Huh! You must be a new recruit, thank the Light! They just killed Vuk'laz the Earthbreaker. It usually stays in the desert, but it started attacking our forces stationed near the Obelisk of the Moon. The Prince flew out and managed to stave it off long enough for the champions to get there."

"The Prince... You mean the Black Prince?"

"Yeah, I saw someone drag him back into the chamber a little while ago. He looked pretty beat up. Hey, you should--"

Anduin didn't wait to hear the rest of the man's comment. He followed a group of people to the titan translocator and entered the heart chamber.

Inside the compound was surreal. It was reminiscent of a field hospital. It took Anduin back to his more horrible memories of the Battle of Lordaeron. Though nothing compared to the devastation wrought by blight, the madness of the Black Empire's corruption seemed to permeate just as thoroughly. He passed elves huddled against the walls rocking back and forth, a dwarf being held down as he seized madly with purple void energy... then of course there were the wounded people with the kinds of injuries expected from war, but the sight was still just as gut-wrenching as the first time Anduin had seen it.

He walked through the halls like a specter, unseen by everyone and drifting towards the medical ward at the center of the storm. He stood inside the door and looked upon the rows of suffering soldiers and the healers doing their best to save as many lives as possible. His hands twitched, unconsciously moving to reach out and help heal, but he stood still, his eyes scanning the faces in the beds and laid out on the floor, looking for two.

Anduin jumped in surprise when he felt someone grab his elbow. He turned and recognized a face that he hadn't see in years. It was Wrathion's bodyguard Right, and she was pulling him from the room.

"Come with me," she said.

He nodded wordlessly and followed her, knowing that she would take him where he needed to go.

She led him down an empty hall to a room that must have been Wrathion's.

His breath caught in his throat as he entered to see Wrathion lying unconscious and bloody on the floor.

Without a thought, Anduin went to him and got to work. He took off his cloak and used it to pillow Wrathion's head. He opened his bag and got out his healer's kit.

"Where is Taelia?" asked Anduin as he looked over the haphazard bandages on Wrathion's chest that he was already starting to bleed through.

"She was out on a regular mission when the Earthbreaker attacked. Left is with her. They should be fine."

Anduin could only trust and hope she was right. He took out a pair of scissors from the kit and began cutting away the bandages so he could see the damage beneath. "Why is he here and not in the medical ward?"

Right rolled her eyes. "He said he didn't want to take away attention from the people who really needed it. Just because he heals faster than everyone else I swear he thinks he's invincible. He barely let me put the bandages on him and pour a potion down his throat before he passed out."

Anduin took off his gloves, laid his hands on Wrathion's chest, and closed his eyes to let the Light flow through him. The healing magic filled his hands as he ran them over the gashes, stopping the bleeding and helping to close the wounds. Anduin opened his eyes and scanned for other injuries, but saw none other than bruises and abrasions on his face.

"Why is he on the floor? Why not put him in bed?"

"He didn't want to mess up the sheets."

Anduin sighed and put a hand on Wrathion's bruised cheek, pouring a bit of magic into the touch. "You really are a stupid dragon," he whispered.

He had known what Wrathion was doing here in Silithus was dangerous, but now being here, seeing the devastation, seeing the extent to which Wrathion was willing to go to achieve this goal... Anduin realized how insane he had been hinging his forgiveness on it all.

 _Wrathion could have died,_ he thought. He couldn't believe his own callousness, sending his soulmate off on a suicide mission! Anduin's heart clenched at the thought of looking down at his wrist and not seeing Wrathion's mark there anymore. How would he have felt then? How would he have felt knowing that Wrathion had fought for him and died unforgiven?

It was in that moment, looking down on Wrathion's unconscious face, that the last of the walls around his heart finally crumbled.

He closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears that filled them from falling. There was healing to be done. He couldn't let himself get carried away by the horrible thought of never again having the chance to tell Wrathion how much he...

"Anduin?"

Anduin opened his eyes to see Wrathion looking up at him in confusion. "Yes, it's me. I'm here. I'm so so sorry, I--"

"What on Azeroth have you done to your hair?"

Anduin blinked and crossed his eyes to look at the dark bangs in front of his face. "Oh... it's just a disguise. It isn't permanent."

"It had better not be," groused Wrathion as he started to sit up.

"Wrathion--," Anduin tried half-heartedly to stop him but froze when Wrathion put a hand to his cheek.

"What are you doing here?"

He felt entranced by the way those red eyes were looking at him and was thankful that Right seemed to have disappeared from the room. "Well... I-I-I came to yell at you actually, but..."

Wrathion smirked. "But...?"

"I think I owe you an apology instead."

"Oh?"

Anduin took a deep breath and then all the words just started tumbling out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. Wrathion, I'm sorry I sent you on this insane and dangerous task. I'm sorry I ever wanted to keep you and Taelia apart. I'm sorry I drove you both away. I'm sorry it took me seeing you here bloody on the floor to realize how stupid I've been! You're doing all of this for the world, and for your flight, and _for me_ and I just--," Anduin gripped Wrathion's arms. "I... I missed you. I've missed you for five years and I don't want to miss you anymore. Wrathion, I--"

Wrathion took Anduin's face between his hands and stopped the torrent with a kiss.

One moment Anduin was rambling and the next he felt fifteen again. He was fifteen again and Wrathion's tongue was in his mouth and he was crawling into his lap and burying his hands in Wrathion's gorgeous hair and the world outside of that moment just disappeared.

At least, it disappeared until he heard a pained grunt from Wrathion and realized he had just crawled into the lap of a severely injured person.

"By the Light, Wrathion!" Anduin said, scrambling back out of his lap. "I still need to heal you!"

"So heal me as we go...," said the dragon as he tugged at Anduin's shirt and tried to crawl after him.

"Heal you as we... _What?!_ Now?! But you're hurt! And I still need to find Taelia and--"

"Taelia's on her way," murmured Wrathion and littered kisses down his neck.

Anduin let out a gasp. "She's--? But... I don't want to hurt you, and... shouldn't we talk about this more? I, uh--"

"Stop thinking," ordered Wrathion as he ripped off the amulet, changing Anduin's hair back to gold, and threw it across the room. "I'm going to make you stop thinking."


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit sexual content ahead. Finally earning my tags.

It had been a very long day.

Taelia was out in the middle of the desert fighting off wave after wave of Black Empire combatants, and she was wishing she had just stayed in bed. She had woken up next to her soulmate and would have loved more time to lounge in bed with him, but unfortunately, they didn't have that luxury.

Wrathion was up with the sun. He had kissed her goodbye with the promise of more later before he snuck out of her room to go lead the preparations for the assault on Ny'alotha. So Taelia had gotten up, put on her gear, and hadn't stopped moving from the moment she stepped out her door.

From the reports that were coming in, it was like the enemy knew something was about to happen. The Black Empire had begun advancing on all fronts which required an immediate response from every available fighter.

Taelia had taken Left and gone with their regular group of adventurers to help fight off the horrible bug-like critters in the deserts of Uldum. Swarms of void creatures had gathered near the Halls of Origination, and it was their job to thin the ranks.

Perhaps having to get up early and fight non-stop was a blessing in disguise. She didn't have much time to ponder the consequences of what she and Wrathion had done the night before. There were monsters to kill, and Taelia used the opportunity to channel her anxiety into fighting.

Day turned into evening and Taelia was exhausted. She was about to bring her hammer down on a large, void-corrupted Aqir when a blur of grey feathers swooped down and shredded the bug in the fiercest display of gryphon fury Taelia had ever seen.

"Galeheart?! Wha--? OOF!" Taelia was knocked flat on her back by her gryphon's loving headbutt. With excited little bird hops, Galeheart pranced in a proud circle around her, cawing happily, and reins flapping freely.

"What are you doing here?!" asked Taelia in amazement, as if Galeheart could answer. "Why don't you have a rider?!"

Taelia got back on her feet, only to be almost knocked off them again by Galeheart's overeager nuzzling. "Yeah! Good girl! You found me! Good job!"

Galeheart sat back on her haunches and wiggled with delight as Taelia petted her. "Aw, my girl, I missed you too! Tides, how did you get here by yourself?!"

 _Taelia..._ she heard Wrathion's voice in her head calling her name through the pendant.

_Wrathion?_

_Come back to... to the heart compound n-now! Need you..._

Taelia frowned. _Does this have anything to do with why Galeheart is here? And why do your thoughts sound out of breath?_

_Anduin!_

Without the distraction of battle, she could no longer ignore a tugging feeling in her chest, as if she were swimming against a building wave. She needed to get to them. Now.

Taelia grabbed Galeheart's reins and hopped on. She looked down at Left and the other adventurers in the party. "Wrathion needs me at the compound! Will you be all right?"

"Go," said Left. "We will endure."

Taelia spurred Galeheart into the air without a second glance.

* * *

Anduin was laid out on the floor, pressed to the floor by the weight of the dragon on top of him, and Wrathion was doing his best to make him stop thinking.

It was working. His thoughts were muddled, his mind only on Wrathion's touch as the dragon worshiped him with hands and lips and tongue and teeth, pouring his penitence into each kiss and caress. Anduin touched him in return, exploring the planes of Wrathion's chest and back, his euphoria of having his soulmate in his arms briefly distracted when his fingers met lacerations along the dragon's spine.

"Wrathion... Wrathion, stop for a second...," Anduin said breathlessly.

Wrathion pulled back from his work of leaving marks along Anduin's collarbone to look up confused. "Stop? You want me to--?"

"Just for a moment..." Anduin let Light flow from his fingertips over the wounds on Wrathion's back.

Wrathion let out a shuddering breath as Anduin's fingers traced up his spine, soothing and healing as they went.

"Titans, Anduin, that feels..." Wrathion bit off a moan.

The almost sensual noise surprised the priest. Anduin had healed many people before and never gotten a reaction quite like that... however he'd never healed in a situation quite like this either. Wrathion seemed just as surprised as he was, eyes softening into an expression of devotion.

"I don't deserve you," whispered Wrathion, reverently caressing his cheek.

"Maybe not," murmured Anduin with a wry smile, "but I love you. I don't think I ever stopped loving you."

Wrathion seemed awash with happiness at those words, but then a look of apprehension crossed his face.

"You might not be so quick to forgive me if you knew what I...," he took a deep breath, "Anduin, last night I--"

Anduin brought a faintly glowing hand to Wrathion's chest. "I already know."

Wrathion's eyes widened. "You...?"

Anduin nodded, face reddening. "I... I felt it. There's nothing to forgive... I was mad, but I'm just... I'm sorry I missed it. I should've been with you two."

A slow grin spread on Wrathion's face.

"Is that what drew you here then?" He rolled his hips and Anduin gasped at the slide of the clothed cock against his own. "Couldn't let her have all the fun?"

"No! I mean-- yes! I mean-- _Wrathion..._ ," Anduin trailed off, unable to form coherent sentences as his soulmate palmed him over his trousers and pressed kisses down his chest, slithering lower.

"I really didn't mean for it to happen without you. I promise we will rectify that shortly," said Wrathion against Anduin's stomach as he began undoing Anduin's belt.

Anduin's thoughts raced as he realized what that meant. The three of them. Together. Anduin's heart started beating faster. He knew it was ridiculous to be nervous, he'd known from the moment he saw the second soulmark on his arm that he was bound to one day have this sort of unconventional relationship. He just couldn't believe that day was actually here, that it might actually happen. But it was real, it was _very_ real, Wrathion undoing his trousers just enough to free his cock from its confines was _extremely_ real.

He couldn't help the strangled noise he made as Wrathion gave him a few tantalizing strokes. Anduin sat up, eyes widening with alarm as he felt warm breath against his cock and he realized what Wrathion intended to do. He opened his mouth to protest, but the blazing red eyes looking up at him from between his legs made the words die in his throat. Wrathion smiled wickedly before licking him from base to tip and sucking him down into warm, wet heat.

Anduin moaned and melted bonelessly back onto the floor.

"I have always wanted to do this to you," whispered Wrathion before wrapping his arms around Anduin's thighs and continuing to work him with his mouth.

Light, it was so much and not enough at the same time. Wrathion went slow, taking his time, keeping him on edge, somehow knowing just how far he could push without actually sending him over. It was pure bliss and yet torturous at the pace Wrathion was going. Anduin just closed his eyes and tried to remember how to breathe.

"Please, please, Wrathion, please...," were the only words he was able to get out as he grasped carefully at Wrathion's hair, not even knowing what he was begging for.

"Tell me what you want," said Wrathion between teasing little licks.

Light, he wanted everything. It didn't even matter what he wanted, he wanted whatever Wrathion wanted. The dragon could have asked anything of him at that moment and he would probably have agreed to it.

"I don't... don't know. I--"

The door opened with a bang.

" _Tidemother's tits_ , whose blood is that?!" exclaimed Taelia as she stumbled into the room gasping for breath. Anduin jolted and tried to squirm away, but was prevented by Wrathion's firm grip around his thighs.

"Wrathion, _seriously?!_ Let me go!"

Taelia froze, her face turning bright red when she realized what was happening. "O-oh," she stuttered. "You two, uh... you look... fine..."

"Come in and shut the door, darling," said Wrathion, completely unbothered.

She turned and did as she was told, locking the door before pressing her back up against it and staring at them.

"You guys know... there's like... a war happening out there?" she asked faintly.

"It will still be there when we're finished."

Anduin sat up on his elbows and watched his soulmates lock eyes before Wrathion licked a stripe up his cock and sucked it back into his mouth.

" _Wrathion!_ " he yelped at the same time Taelia cursed under her breath.

He probably could have died of embarrassment. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be thinking. The last time he'd seen her she was angry and leaving and now he was here, on the floor, surrounded by the bloody bandages he'd just taken off their soulmate... being _sucked off_ by their soulmate...

Then he met her eyes. She was looking at him like she wanted to devour him. He swallowed hard and watched as she set her hammer aside, tossed her gloves to the floor, and approached him.

"Taelia... Light, ah-- I'm sorry I... I should probably--"

She sank to the floor, kneeling beside him, and quieted him with a finger to his lips.

"Anduin... we can talk later."

She leaned in and kissed him and it was all he could do to keep from coming in Wrathion's mouth right then.

"Easy now, we're just getting started...," said Wrathion as he pulled away and sat back.

Any worry Anduin had about whether or not Taelia was still mad at him was quelled as she kissed him like she was drowning. He had so much he wanted to say to her, so much he needed to tell her, but all the words drifted away as he let her take what she needed from him.

"Tides, I missed you so much...," mumbled Taelia between kisses.

"Missed you... I missed you too," he managed to say back, kissing her just as desperately. He was only vaguely aware of Wrathion removing his boots for him.

"Come on, off the floor you two," said the dragon.

He felt the distinct absence of Taelia's lips as she pulled away and stood up. His soulmates helped him to his feet and then a lot of things happened at once. They touched him everywhere, Taelia pushed the shirt off his shoulders, Wrathion divested him of the rest of his clothing, and he quickly became overwhelmed by the four teasing hands working to take him apart.

"W-wait--," he protested, very aware that he was now the only naked person in the room and had never felt more exposed in his life.

"Relax," said Wrathion as he took Anduin by the hand sat him on the edge of the bed. "Don't panic. Just watch us for a minute."

Anduin gripped the silk sheets below and resisted the urge to cover himself with one of the pillows, knowing that Wrathion would not approve. He watched as Wrathion turned to their other soulmate and helped her out of her sandy armor, casting a little cleansing spell after Taelia protested that she really ought to bathe first.

"You're not going anywhere yet, darling," said Wrathion before pulling her in for a heady kiss.

Anduin's cock twitched. They were even more beautiful together than he had imagined. Wrathion was clearly putting on a show for him too, standing behind her as he revealed more and more of her skin, his hands sliding along her curves to best accentuate them and draw Anduin's eye to the right places.

Taelia laughed at the way his eyes went wide when Wrathion finally dropped her breast bindings to the floor. She pushed Wrathion's hands aside and took a step forward to stand between Anduin's legs.

"Have you ever seen a woman like this before?" she asked quietly.

"No," he whispered as she took his hands and guided them to her breasts. They were soft and wonderful and didn't fit in his hands when he squished them. In a surge of courage, he leaned forward and sucked one of the peaks into his mouth, relishing her gasp as well as their dragon's hum of approval.

He glanced up and saw Wrathion looking down at him, chin perched on Taelia's shoulder. Wrathion wrapped his arms around her from behind, hands resting on her stomach. Anduin drew back to see his hands flare with magical light.

"You know this spell?" asked Wrathion.

Anduin nodded. It was arcane, a bit different from the version he was taught as a priest, but he knew its contraceptive purpose was the same. He breathed a sigh of relief, it was one less thing to be nervous about.

"Thanks, love," said Taelia. She kissed Wrathion on the cheek before putting a hand against Anduin's shoulder and pushing him gently back onto the bed and following him down.

He wrapped his arms around her and let her crawl on top of him, straddling him and grinding against him. Her panties were the only thing left between them, but he could feel how wet she was through them. She leaned down to kiss him, pressing her bare breast to his, and he moaned into her mouth.

"You want to know a secret?" Taelia whispered as she trailed kisses along his jaw. "I'm a bit nervous too."

He smiled up at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Light, why had he been so afraid of this? He mentally chided himself, thinking about how they could have been doing this at Stormwind Keep the whole time.

The mattress dipped and he looked over to see Wrathion, completely unclothed, crawl onto the bed beside them, a true dragon approaching his hoard. There wasn't much that could have pulled Anduin's attention away from the almost naked woman on top of him, but that did. Wrathion was enviably perfect and moved with absolute confidence, his human form reflecting every bit of the maturity he seemed to have gained in the years they were apart.

The dragon beckoned to Taelia so she sat up, letting him pull her closer and whisper something in her ear. Anduin could only assume they were conspiring against him from the way Taelia's eyes lit up and darted towards him. They had a plan, but before he could begin to speculate, Taelia rolled off of him and was replaced by Wrathion. This time there was no clothing between them and Anduin could feel the slide of every inch of Wrathion's cock against his own as he grinded down. The dragon took them both in hand, stroking them together, and Anduin couldn't keep himself from throwing his head back against the pillows and crying out in ecstasy.

"I want to come inside you tonight, will you let me?"

" _Fuck_... y-yes."

There was a giggle beside them and Anduin turned his head to see a now completely naked Taelia returning to the bed with a vial that she pressed into Wrathion's hand.

"Thank you, darling. Rollover Anduin."

Taelia laid back down, and Anduin found himself being maneuvered to kneel between her legs as she spread them for him. His breath caught at the sight of her barring herself to him. She laughed as he looked uncertainly to Wrathion, not quite knowing what to do next.

Wrathion's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Like this Anduin...," he said and reached out to slide his fingers between her lips and rub circles over what Anduin knew from diagrams had to be her clit. "Show him, darling."

Again, Taelia gently took his hand and guided it to her wet folds as Wrathion pulled away, showing him how to push his fingers inside. He listened to her instructions on how to move them and then let her little noises of pleasure guide him as he continued.

He was starting to think how much he'd like to replace his fingers with his cock, when suddenly warm, slick fingers ran over his own entrance and he recoiled in surprise. He glanced warily back at Wrathion.

"Are you sure that you...?"

"I promise I'm going to take care of you Anduin, just tell me if anything hurts."

"Hey," said Taelia, taking his face in her hands, "Focus on me if it helps."

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her as Wrathion slowly started working him open. He'd done this to himself before, but it was strange having someone else doing it for him, even if that someone else was the one he'd been imagining in the first place. It was easier with the diversion of his other beautiful soulmate beneath him. He cursed under his breath as he felt Wrathion's fingers pushing in, but was quickly distracted by Taelia's hand around his cock.

"Ohh that's...," the rest of his words cut off with a strangled moan.

Taelia grinned and rubbed him against her folds, using her own slickness to make stroking him easier.

"You're doing so well...," encouraged Wrathion, his other hand teasing and stroking Anduin's back and thighs. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Anduin whispered, "...please," he said even quieter.

A hand went to the back of his neck, pressing his face between Taelia's breasts, and then Wrathion's cock filled him up.

Light, it was so much. He let out a groan, muffled against Taelia, and was thankful that Wrathion stayed still, giving him a moment to adjust to the fullness. He looked up, pleasure coursing through his veins as Taelia gave him a few more languid strokes and moved to place the head of his cock at her threshold. Then with a nudge of Wrathion's hips, Anduin slid into her.

He almost choked, not expecting the sudden feeling of being connected to both of them. He felt them both so deeply, unable to even move with how he was caught in between them. It was better than everything he'd ever imagined. He was more full than he'd ever been which was both overwhelming and satisfying knowing that it was Wrathion he was stretching for. And Taelia, Light, she was tight and wet and nothing could have prepared him for the hot pull of her. He felt whole, finally reunited with the other two missing pieces of his soul, and he was drunk off the feeling.

He heard Taelia calling his name, drawing him out of his daze. He met her emerald eyes, letting them anchor him in the storm of sensation.

"Anduin... you still with us?"

He managed to make a strangled noise of confirmation.

"Breathe," commanded Wrathion. Anduin obeyed, taking air in through his nose, out through his mouth.

Then Wrathion moved.

Wrathion drew out a bit before pushing back in, hands on Anduin's hips to make him mirror the movement. Gradually, the motion became more firm and sure, Wrathion rocking them in and out, slowly fucking Taelia with Anduin's cock.

She whined and shifted restlessly beneath them, unable to move much for the weight of the two men on top of her.

"She likes it harder...," rumbled the dragon against Anduin's shoulder as he started pumping faster.

Anduin's breathing became ragged as he lost himself once again in the assault of sensations, the steady pounding, the sharp teeth at his shoulder, the clench around his cock, the soft sounds from Taelia, the murmured praise from Wrathion... and it was all made more exciting by the fact that he shouldn't have even been there. He was away from his kingdom, away from everything, losing his virginity to his secret soulmates in the middle of a warzone in the heart of the world.

He felt _so good_. Even in the midst of it, he found himself wanting to do it again and again. He wanted to do everything with them, try everything in every way.

Pleasure curled in the pit of his stomach and it was almost too late by the time he realized, " _Fuck_ I'm going to--"

"Come inside me," breathed Taelia.

She clenched around him and Wrathion thrust against him just right and then Anduin was gone, lost to the overwhelming pleasure of the best orgasm he'd ever had. Taelia cried out and came a second later as he felt her pulse around him. Wrathion wasn't far behind, soft curses in different languages escaped his lips as he thrust a few more times and Anduin felt a warm flood coat his insides as Wrathion moaned and almost collapsed on top of them.

They stayed like that in a panting heap on the bed as they caught their breaths.

Anduin could imagine the sight he must have made sandwiched between his soulmates in the tangle of limbs and he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What is it?" asked Wrathion.

"Nothing," responded Anduin breathlessly with a tired smile. "That was... it was _fun_."

"Air please," begged Taelia from beneath him.

He and Wrathion immediately complied, falling onto the mattress beside her so she could breathe again without anyone on top of her.

They slid out of each other slowly, and Anduin laughed again, this time over the fact that Wrathion ended up with messy sheets anyway.

"Wrathion, I think we broke him," murmured Taelia.

"No, no that was... incredible," Anduin said, loving the way his soulmates exchanged proud glances above him. He laid there between them, not caring about anything except the feeling of their warmth on either side of him. As the adrenaline rush faded, the mix of satiation and his many sleepless hours caught up with him all at once. "I want... I wanna do it again... just let me... let me close my eyes for a few minutes..."

And then he fell fast asleep, finally at peace in the arms of his loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who might have missed it, I posted a couple of fun Wranduin Christmas stories last week, so if that's your thing be sure to check them out!
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, and I wish everyone a safe and happy new year!


	27. Chapter 27

Taelia woke up with her head on Anduin's chest, his arm around her. His chest continued to steadily rise and fall as he slept. On the other side of him, Wrathion was awake... watching them.

"You look happy," she said softly, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Anduin.

Wrathion smiled and twirled a strand of golden hair between his fingers. "I am."

"I was so worried you two wouldn't ever make up." Taelia snuggled closer to Anduin's side.

Wrathion hummed pensively and kept playing with their sleeping soulmate's hair.

Her brow furrowed. "You didn't tell him about... us... the night before... did you?"

"I didn't have to. He knew... he felt it somehow."

Taelia's eyes widened. "Oh."

Wrathion gently touched her face. "We're all right. We have plenty of time to make up for it."

Taelia relaxed again and was quiet for a moment listening to the sound of Anduin's heartbeat beneath her ear. She absentmindedly traced one of the many scars across his chest and whispered, "What are we going to do? The plans for Ny'alotha tomorrow..."

"We will proceed as planned," Wrathion said then glanced down at Anduin, "...once he goes back to Stormwind."

"He's not going to like that."

"He's the High King of the Alliance, he can't--," Wrathion stopped as Anduin stirred and sighed heavily.

"Wrathion," Anduin mumbled, "I'm going with you."

"You shouldn't put yourself at such risk."

"You shouldn't whisper about me while in bed with me."

Taelia chuckled quietly then looked at Wrathion with pleading eyes. "We could use more healers."

"Neither of you should be going," grumbled Wrathion.

Anduin hooked a hand around the back of Wrathion's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "I meant it when I said I don't want us to be apart anymore, especially not in this. Wrathion please... let me help."

Wrathion melted with the kiss, slightly surprised but also overjoyed by Anduin's affection. He looked down at his soulmate and sighed, "Fine... but you're healing, not fighting. You stay on the back lines. No heroics."

"I promise I'll leave the heroics to you."

* * *

They spent the day finalizing plans for battle and trying to prepare Anduin as best they could. Since he'd come in his disguise and left Shalamayne and his armor in Stormwind, he needed to be completely outfitted. Luckily, they had plenty of purified gear for him to choose from. Anduin was actually relieved to be free from the plate for a little while. Wrathion found an extra corruption resistant cloak and pulled him aside in the armory for a fitting.

It was then that Wrathion said, "I think you should talk to Taelia."

"You can't be serious. _Now?_ " scoffed Anduin. "I'm sure she would appreciate that! 'Oh, Taelia, we're about to fight an old god, but if we make it out alive I need you to marry me.' What kind of proposal would that be? I don't even have the ring with me."

"Anduin, are you really still afraid she's going to refuse?" asked Wrathion. "Even after last night?"

"We slept together, that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to marry me..." Anduin looked away. "She doesn't have a lot of reasons to say yes."

Wrathion took Anduin's chin and made him look back. "What about getting to be by your side? Being a permanent fixture in your life? Being able to tell the world how much you love each other?"

Anduin gave him a small smile. "Are those the reasons why she would say yes, or the reasons why you would say yes?"

Wrathion smiled back. "I think she would agree with me."

"Let's secure our future first," said Anduin. "I'll tell her before we go back to Stormwind."

"I'm going to take that as a sign of your confidence in me, but be careful not to underestimate N'zoth. There's always a possibility that..." Wrathion cleared his throat and secured the fastening of the cloak at Anduin's shoulder. "I just want to see the two of you happy."

Anduin's heart clenched in his chest at the rare shadow of uncertainty that crossed Wrathion's face.

"Wrathion, I've seen everything you've built here, everything you've done to prepare. You're ready." Anduin placed his palm against Wrathion's cheek. "And when we come out on the other side I know you'll be there... nagging me worse than Genn."

Wrathion rolled his eyes, laughing a bit at Anduin's attempted levity. "I want to be there when you tell her," he insisted. "You should do it tonight."

"No! I'll tell her when we get back!"

" _If--_ "

" _When_ ," asserted Anduin.

"Fine, _when_ ," Wrathion conceded. He gave Anduin a final once-over. "That should do it. Now go on, I have a few more things to do in the heart chamber before I stop for the night."

"Very well," said Anduin. Then he stepped deliberately into Wrathion's space and whispered, "Come to bed soon."

Wrathion's breath hitched, but before he could react further, Anduin was already moving away tossing an innocent smile behind him.

* * *

The time of the attack was set at dawn. It was an hour before midnight when Taelia finally heard Wrathion dismiss the champions and head for his quarters.

She snuck back to her room and found the bag she'd brought with her. She dug around the bottom of it until her fingers met the black lace underthings she'd shoved there before leaving Stormwind. If she and her soulmates were going to risk their lives facing an old god, she figured they might as well enjoy themselves the night before. She doubted they'd be able to sleep much anyway.

Not having brought a robe, she wrapped herself up tightly in the blanket Wrathion made and quickly padded down the hall to his room. Right was there guarding the door, but mercifully only smirked at her and stood aside.

The look on Anduin's face when she dropped the blanket was worth it.

* * *

Anduin stared up at the colorful fabrics draped from the ceiling of Wrathion's room. Taelia's head rested against his shoulder, Wrathion's arm was slung over his waist. He dared not move a muscle for fear of waking either of them.

He remembered the morning before his father left on the ship to face the Legion, waking up in his old room to the bright beams of sunlight summoning him from sleep. It had been an ordinary day, a Tuesday, he recalled, and he had found himself by his window, caught by the sight of the sunrise.

 _Everything can wait for a sunrise_ , he remembered thinking.

Through the brightening morning mist, he could make out the airship rising above the harbor. He heard the heavy boots of his father's armor stepping down the hall, a sound he usually dreaded because of the loud knock and stern voice breaking his peace that was sure to follow.

But that day there was no jarring knock or commanding voice, just a hesitation outside his door, a light tapping, and his father calling his name before slowly creaking the door open and crossing the room to stand beside him at the window. They said nothing as they watched the day break. Anduin didn't know yet why his father had come to his room that morning, nor could he have predicted what would happen in the days to come. If he had, there was so much he would have said. Instead, they were quiet. There were no apologies, no confessions, no lectures, no stories, there was only peace as they stood there together.

Anduin looked down and gently took Taelia's hand, careful not to wake her, and grazed her ring finger, heart racing at the touch. Wrathion stirred beside him, his blazing eyes still shut to the world as Anduin took his hand and did the same. _Light protect them,_ he prayed as he tried to imagine his rings on both their fingers. There was no need for words now. They were going to make it through this. This time he would be there to make sure of it.

Soon enough, his lovers woke. They took a while untangling themselves and getting out of bed, wanting to spend as much time as possible enjoying the calm before the storm.

"Wait, before I forget...," said Anduin as they prepared to leave and face the world. He pulled them close and murmured a blessing, "May the Light guide and strengthen you, let hope and courage fill your heart." He kissed them softly, first Taelia and then Wrathion, casting a fortifying spell through his touch.

They gazed back at him a little stunned, but with admiration in their eyes. There was a knock at the door and they heard Right's voice on the other side.

"It's time."

* * *

_Corruption permeated the air, tentacles from N'zoth's massive body writhed, and every orange eye in the realm was focused on him._

_Wrathion looked down at the dagger in his hand._

_Taelia and Anduin fought a little ways away, her leading the champions, and him keeping them all standing. Wrathion caught Anduin's eye. The priest gave him a single nod and Wrahtion felt a shield flicker up around him._

_Wrathion smirked, flipped the dagger up in the air, and caught it deftly. He lept straight up and shifted into his dragon form with a puff of black smoke, lithely serpentining between tentacles trying to knock him out of the sky._

_Two tendrils swung back around, Wrathion spread his wings to slow down as they clapped together with him between them. He instantly shifted to his smaller human form, slipping between them unharmed, momentum carrying him through the air towards his target. With a shout, he raised the dagger and plunged it deep into the heart of N'zoth._

_The old god let out a horrendous roar as Wrathion shoved it in further. The fate of Azeroth, retribution for his dragonflight, his hope for a future with the ones he cared about... the weight of it all drove him forward, propelling him to end this once and for all._

_The ancient magic contained in the dagger writhed and flared, but Wrathion was unrelenting. The power built and built beneath his hands until finally..._

_The explosion sent him flying backward as Anduin's shield around him absorbed most of the impact. Wrathion hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. He was vaguely aware of his soulmates screaming his name and running towards him as he got back on his feet, looking up to witness the blazing disintegration of N'zoth._

_Every tendril went lax and the eyes exploded as Ny'alotha crumbled around them..._

Wrathion replayed the battle in his mind over and over again as he looked down at his hands covered in the blood of an old god.

He reached out with his senses, intoning a corruption detection spell, and felt... nothing. The corruption was gone, and yet...

He was disquieted.

Wrathion ripped off his gloves and breathed fire on them, watching as the inky purplish blood turned to ash. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his doubts. He had sensed the power drain from the corpse of N'zoth himself... The Black Empire in both the waking world and the nightmare realm had crumbled... but Wrathion couldn't shake the feeling that he'd only cauterized an infected wound. N'zoth was a _god_. He had been around almost as long as the planet itself and Wrathion had his doubts that the corruptor's influence was well and truly gone.

Wrathion stared at his palms. Maybe these fears were lingering effects of corruption, a result of being steeped in the shadow of the Void for so long.

"Wrathion?"

He turned towards Anduin, his light, his beacon of hope. _Perhaps a priest will be able to help me,_ thought Wrathion. At the very least, Wrathion was certain that his soulmates would be safe from N'zoth for the rest of their lives and for many generations to come.

"I'm coming," responded Wrathion, magicking away the ash.

"Everyone's waiting in the Heart Chamber to congratulate you. Come be the hero. You deserve it," said Anduin with a bright smile.

Wrathion masked his doubts and followed his soulmate to the celebration, happy to bask in the victory, but Anduin's praise was more than enough for him.

* * *

Taelia moved through the heart compound, nodding to the champions celebrating the fall of the Black Empire as she passed by. It hadn't taken them long to start breaking out the champagne, but she ignored their attempts at getting her to join the party. She had just finished ensuring the champions in her squad were alive and accounted for, and now she prowled the halls looking for her soulmates. The high of battle hadn't yet faded, latent energy hummed in her chest, and something inside her demanded that she find them.

She entered the Heart Chamber to find Wrathion talking to an odd mix of people. He was standing next to Ebyssian, a blue-haired man, a gnome, and two elven women with... were those horns on their heads?

She jolted as she felt someone brush her arm, hand reflexively moving to her hammer, but it was just Anduin, still in his disguise, pulling her to stand with him against the wall. His small touch was electric, sending her thoughts wandering to how long it would be before she could drag him from the room.

"Those are the Aspects," he whispered to her, pointing out the group standing with Wrathion and Ebyssian. "Except Chromie, the gnome, she's more of a representative for the bronze flight."

Taelia snapped out of her distracted thoughts, amazed to be standing in the same room with some of the oldest and most powerful dragons on Azeroth. They watched as the other dragons congratulated Wrathion, though Taelia noticed him tense when Alexstrasza spoke to him.

"He's one of them, isn't he? Our soulmate is an Aspect."

Anduin startled and stared at the dragons as if he'd never considered it before. "I think... I think you might be right."

As Wrathion and Alexstrasza continued talking, the other dragons drifted off from the group. The blue dragon's eyes flitted to them. With a curious tilt of his head, he smiled and approached.

"Greetings! Have we met before? You seem familiar," he teased, giving the disguised king a knowing look.

"It's Jerek," responded Anduin, smiling back as he shook the dragon's hand. "It's good to see you again, Kalecgos."

"I couldn't help but notice Jaina's handiwork," said Kalecgos gesturing to Anduin's hair. He turned to Taelia. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Kalecgos, this is Taelia Fordragon. Taelia, this is Kalecgos, Aspect of Magic and leader of the blue dragonflight," said Anduin.

" _Former_ Aspect of Magic... really just Kalec will do."

"It's nice to meet you... Kalec," said Taelia.

"And you as well! From what I've heard you've been quite busy, fighting for Kul Tiras and now defeating N'zoth! Whatever will you tackle next?" asked Kalecgos with a chuckle.

Taelia was momentarily taken aback by the question. First of all, she was surprised that a dragon aspect would be familiar with her reputation. Perhaps he knew of her because of her proximity to Jaina? Not only that, but the battle had only ended a little while ago, she hadn't even had time to clean the blood from her hammer yet let alone think about what she was going to do next.

She locked eyes with Anduin and her heart skipped as the eventuality of being his queen hit her once again. Whether the feeling was caused by anticipation or trepidation she couldn't tell. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to be with both her soulmates, but there was still so much they hadn't discussed.

"Oh, I... um..." There was a brief flicker of emotions she couldn't identify on Anduin's face. "I'm not quite sure yet."

Kalec glanced between them curiously. "I heard Kul Tiras has rejoined the Alliance. I'm sure you're both very pleased about that."

Anduin's attention went back to the dragon. "Oh yes, Stormwind looks forward to working together with Kul Tiras especially now that Jaina is the new Lord Admiral," he answered diplomatically.

The blue dragon hesitated for a moment. "If I might ask... how is she? Jaina? The last time we spoke... well..."

Anduin gave him a sympathetic look. "She's doing fine, Kalec. She reunited with her family recently which has done her a lot of good. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear from you. Would you like me to tell her you asked after her? I could--"

"No, no," interrupted Kalec, "I appreciate it, but I should reach out to her myself."

Anduin nodded.

Distracted from the conversation, Taelia peered over the blue dragon's shoulder to see Wrathion had stopped talking to Alexstrasza and was now conversing with a strange pink-haired woman on the other side of the chamber. The woman exuded a quiet confidence similar to the other dragons in the room and Taelia could only assume she was one as well. Whoever she was, Wrathion seemed familiar with her. Taelia narrowed her eyes, instantly struck with a bout of jealousy as the woman leaned in close to say something to him.

Wrathion's head suddenly swiveled towards Taelia. She quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring, but her blood boiled as lingering battle fervor transformed into possessiveness.

"Lady Fordragon, are you quite well? You look a bit flushed," remarked Kalecgos, forcing her to refocus.

She ignored Anduin's concerned eyes. "I'm fine," she responded. When she looked back again, the strange woman had disappeared and Wrathion was making his way towards them.

"Kalec, my friend, I see it didn't take you long to find these particular champions..."

"Who were you talking to?" blurted Taelia before Kalecgos could answer him, not caring about the confused look Anduin was giving her.

Wrathion folded his hands behind his back. "Her name is Zoridorma, another dragon. She came to congratulate me."

Kalecgos's eyes went wide as he turned to look around the chamber. "She's here?!"

"She was. I believe she has already departed," said Wrathion.

Kalecgos's face fell. "Unfortunate. I would have loved an opportunity to speak with her."

"Why? Who is _she?_ " asked Taelia.

"She's the designer of the largest magical matrix that has ever succeeded!" answered the blue dragon. At Wrathion's raised eyebrow, Kalecgos clarified, "The soulmark spell... she made the soulmark spell."

Taelia stared at Wrathion, her misplaced jealousy melting into concern as she was struck with the realization of just who he'd been talking to. "Is everything all right? There's not... trouble... is there?"

"Quite the opposite darling," said Wrathion, "She wanted me to know that trouble has passed."

"It's rare that she makes personal appearances. I think I've seen Nozdormu more times than I've seen her. There are so many questions I would like to ask her," remarked Kalegos as he glanced down at his wrist. "Consider yourself lucky my friend."

"Yes, very lucky..." said Wrathion, his fiery gaze holding Taelia's. "Kalec, would you excuse us? I have something I need to discuss with my... with these champions."

There was something in the way he looked at her that set her alight, her heart pounding as if she were about to rush off into battle again. As soon as they left the chamber, a worried Anduin put his hand against her cheek which did nothing to alleviate the lightning dancing in her veins.

"You really are flushed, are you sure you're feeling all right? Maybe I should check you over--"

Wrathion leaned in and interrupted him with a kiss. A pang of desire ripped through her as she witnessed her lovers' lips lock mere inches from her face.

"She doesn't need healing, Anduin," said Wrathion before turning to her, pulling her into his arms, and kissing her soundly. She moaned against his lips, heat pooling in her core at the prospect of getting to redirect her excess energy celebrating their victory the way she wanted to.

"Oh...? OH," realized Anduin. "Right, I've heard about this! ...craving intimacy after an intense fight... I know the rage drop for warriors can be particularly--"

Taelia growled and switched to him, crushing her lips against his. She grabbed both her soulmates by their collars and dragged them into Wrathion's room.

* * *

A messenger came the next morning to deliver a letter from Jaina. The news of N'zoth's defeat had reached Stormwind and she urged Anduin to come back before Shaw no longer gave him a choice. She told him she would meet him in Ramkahen at the portal site when he was ready to return.

He was far from ready to return, but he sent a message back confirming when they'd meet her. As he and his soulmates spent the morning preparing to leave, his stomach churned at the thought of telling Taelia what they'd be returning to. He continued to avoid it, causing Wrathion to shoot impatient looks at him the entire morning.

They flew out to Ramkahen on Galeheart with Wrathion in dragon form following behind. The air had cleared from the influence of the Black Empire and Taelia pointed out some of the sights, chatting amiably about the adventures she'd had in the desert.

That only made Anduin feel worse. A constant stream of loathing thoughts plagued him. _She deserves better, she's going to feel like I'm pressuring her, she's going to hate me for this..._

Jaina was already waiting next to the portal when they landed, smiling and waving as she greeted them.

Taelia led Galeheart through the portal first, and Anduin could feel the disappointment radiating off Wrathion as the dragon followed behind her.

As he stepped forward to follow after them, Jaina put out a hand to stop him.

"How did things go?" she asked. "The three of you seem together now. How did Taelia take the news about--?"

"I haven't told her yet."

Jaina sighed and shook her head, "That explains why you left this on your desk..."

She took out his mother's ring box from her cloak and handed it to him.

"I don't know if I'll need it," he said, cradling the box in his hands. "Jaina... I don't think she's going to say yes."

His aunt gave him a skeptical look. "You should keep it with you anyway. Anduin, you can't wait much longer. The entire kingdom is buzzing about this. You need to be the one to tell her."

"I know. I will," he said as he pocketed the little box. "I just need to find the right moment."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BY THE LIGHT, this chapter fought me.


	28. Chapter 28

Genn was seething.

Anduin could feel the weight of the worgen's angry stare from across the banquet table as he clutched his fork and tried to eat the dinner he had no appetite for. He was certain the only thing keeping the older king from dragging him out of the room and sitting him down for a long lecture was Mia's discreet pinching of her husband's arm.

Anduin decided to ignore him and tried to focus on Wrathion regaling the table with stories of the recent conquest.

"...I flew in, scrapping and clawing at the tentacled beast while Taelia held its attention. Right when we thought we had gained the upper hand, it got in a lucky hit, knocking our brave warrior off her feet! The monster was about to slam down another crippling blow when An--"

 _Wrathion!_ interrupted Anduin telepathically before his soulmate spoke his name.

"...I mean... a healer, yes, a priest I believe it was, used that wonderful leap spell to pull Taelia out of range while I went for the throat!" finished Wrathion.

Anduin glanced towards Genn. The worgen's expression was as grumpy as ever, he likely couldn't hear the dragon's slip-up over the steam spouting from his ears. That was good, Anduin had no intention of adding endangering himself in Ny'alotha to Genn's list of disappointments. According to Jaina, Genn had interpreted Anduin's disappearance as a surefire sign of, apparently, a whirlwind romance and accompanying elopement.

He had not taken Anduin's return sans fiancee very well.

Anduin had been successfully avoiding Genn all day, but he knew his luck was about to run out.

Alleria and Turalyon, who were there due to a last-minute invitation from Jaina, were seated across the table from her and Shaw. The air between the mage and the spymaster was icy; it seemed that they hadn't quite reconciled from the unauthorized-portaling-of-the-king-to-the-enemy-continent incident. Flynn was notably absent due to being away on business running the shipping route he'd established between Boralus and Stormwind. Luckily, Turalyon's entertaining stories from the second war seemed to be keeping Shaw from threatening the mage with his butterknife. Anduin was not looking forward to a lecture from Shaw either.

"Wrathion, tell them about the dagger," said Taelia. "You haven't even gotten to the best parts yet."

"Yes, I was just coming to that, thank you, darling." Then Wrathion dove into the story of how they ran into Azshara and were given the dagger, Xal'atath, that ultimately enabled Wrathion to kill the old god.

Anduin flinched as Genn's eyes narrowed at Wrathion's term of endearment for Taelia. Now that Wrathion was back, Anduin knew he needed to tell Genn the truth about his other soulmate, but that was definitely not a conversation he wanted to have while the worgen was already angry.

Wrathion's story came to a close and Turalyon spoke up in his strong voice to ask, "What's next for you, Wrathion? What will you do now that the old gods are defeated?"

"The old gods were only one threat to Azeroth," answered Wrathion, his gaze sliding briefly to Alleria before returning to Turalyon, "Many others still loom on the horizon and lurk in the shadows. Know that from this day forth, the black dragonflight will honor its ancient charge and stand in defense of our world."

Anduin took that opportunity to raise his glass. "Stormwind thanks you for your efforts and looks forward to our continued cooperation towards that noble goal. To Wrathion."

The toast was echoed around the table with varying levels of enthusiasm.

Dinner ended not long after that, and as soon as the plates were cleared, Genn stood up.

"Anduin, I would like a word with you."

Anduin knew it was actually going to be many words, but it was time to face the dreaded conversation.

"Let's go to my office," he relented. He caught the sympathetic looks from his soulmates as he left the dining room with Genn in tow.

"Listen, I know you're disappointed. I know a king isn't supposed to leave like I did. I can't explain it, but I just had to go, and I'm not going to apologize for it either. I did everything I could to make sure things would be fine while I was gone. If I'd waited to try and arrange an official leave of absence it would have been--"

"Anduin, I'm not angry about that."

"You're not?"

Genn huffed, "You've got more of your father in you than everyone thinks. I should know better than to try and reprimand you for going somewhere dangerous without backup, I'll leave that conversation to Shaw. No, I'm angry because you brought Taelia back without telling her a Light-damned thing!"

Anduin crossed his arms. "I'm... working on it."

"Take some advice from someone who's been married for almost fifty years: don't lie to your wife! Keeping her in the dark is unacceptable Anduin!"

Anduin was quiet for a long moment.

"What if she doesn't want to be my wife?"

Some of the frustration on Genn's face softened. "You won't know until you ask."

Anduin reached into his pocket and touched the ring box he'd been carrying with him all day.

"There's one more thing I need to do before I talk to her. Rest assured she won't be in the dark for much longer."

"Good," said Genn with a curt nod. "Now as for the dragon--"

Anduin frowned. "What about him?"

"How long is he planning on staying?"

"Genn--"

"Yes, yes, I know, black flight redemption, slayer of N'zoth, I heard the speech. Anduin, I know he's your friend now but...," Genn trailed off before gathering himself and admitting, "It bothers me how familiar he is with Taelia. I don't like the way he looks at her. He calls her _darling._ He should show more respect, for her and for you. I thought he liked you."

"That's just how Wrathion is," said Anduin, trying to keep his face passive, "I don't think he's being disrespectful."

"Of a future queen and your future wife it is disrespectful," grumbled Genn, "If you ask me, the sooner he leaves the better. Be wary Anduin. Uncorrupted or not, I don't trust him. Dragons are wily creatures."

"I'll keep that in mind, Genn."

* * *

Stormwind Keep was a veritable museum of antiques, art, artifacts, and weapons displayed throughout the rooms and halls. Anduin found it amazing how much of his ancestor's treasures had managed to survive the years, especially after the Horde burned Stormwind. There were so many things that either couldn't be displayed or were too priceless to be left out that Stormwind Keep boasted a rather full vault.

As soon as Genn left, Anduin sent for the treasurer and told her to bring the keys.

"Is there something specific you're looking for, your majesty?" she asked as Anduin carefully moved around the chests, trunks, furniture, and stacks of paintings inside the vault. "I'd be happy to search the records for you."

"Thank you, but I wanted to look for something myself. Where is the jewelry kept?"

She led him to a shelf of ornate boxes beside a display case that housed the crown jewels. Anduin glanced at the two crowns that rested inside before turning his attention to looking through the jewelry boxes. He was careful to put them back in the spots where he found them, not wanting to disturb the neat organization.

"What are you doing?"

Anduin startled and turned around to find Wrathion standing at the door of the vault.

"Sir, you shouldn't be in here!" protested the treasurer.

"It's fine, Lady Burke," said Anduin and waved him inside. Wrathion gave the woman a triumphant look.

"Yes, your majesty," she sighed. "I'll be outside if you need anything. Please let me know if you take anything so I can make a note of it in the _very thorough_ records," she said as she left the vault, eyes narrowed at Wrathion.

The dragon ignored her and wove his way around the junk to look over Anduin's shoulder.

"Quite a hoard you have here my dear king."

"Mhm, what do you think of these?" asked Anduin, and handed him a box of rings.

Wrathion gave it a disinterested glance. "As much as I love admiring a good hoard, I don't think this is really the right time. Besides, I thought you already chose a ring for Taelia. Don't tell me you're doubting that too now."

"I am not. I'm looking for something else," said Anduin as he checked inside another box full of necklaces.

"Anduin, please, I can make her something better than anything you'll find in here, but we can think about that later! You told me you would talk to Taelia before we got back to Stormwind."

Anduin grimaced. "I know, I'm sorry."

Wrathion set the box down in the wrong place and looked towards the door before pulling Anduin into his arms. "Don't be sorry, just come tell her," he said with a kiss. "It's a beautiful night, the moons are out, let's take a walk in the garden and you can finally put your fears to rest."

"I wish I were as confident as you are."

"I'm confident enough for the both of us."

Anduin gave him a small smile. "Go find her. Let me finish in here, and I'll meet you both at the gardens."

"Yes, your majesty," teased Wrathion before releasing him and making his way back out of the vault.

Lady Burke reentered moments after Wrathion exited, immediately scanning the room as if she'd be able to notice if the dragon had pocketed anything.

Anduin picked up the box of rings Wrathion had barely looked at. A simple but beautifully-made gold band caught his eye and he pulled it out, checking the inside to make sure it wasn't engraved.

"Lady Burke, what can you tell me about this one?" he asked.

It took her a moment to look it up. "Yes, the Gold Eternium Band, there's a note written here next to the entry... _Passed down by royalty throughout time, the gift of this ring declares eternal love..._ Well that's not very helpful. I'm sorry, your majesty, that's all it says! I don't even know which royalty this could be referring to."

"No, it's perfect," said Anduin softly. "That's exactly what I was looking for."

* * *

Anduin stepped out to the garden, took a deep breath of cool air, and looked up. Not many stars could be seen this far inside the city, but both of Azeroth's moons were full and shining brightly. They illuminated the garden which rendered obsolete the magic-powered lights that lined the winding paths between flowerbeds. Wrathion was right, it was a beautiful night.

"Anduin, good, you're here," he heard Tealia say as he turned to see her marching across the courtyard with Wrathion trailing behind her. "Please tell your soulmate that I already have a perfectly good wardrobe that doesn't need any improvements."

Anduin smiled despite his nervousness. "I'm afraid that's not my field of expertise."

"He wants to take me shopping for more dresses. I don't need more dresses!"

"Darling, you _do_ need a better wardrobe," insisted Wrathion. "Some of those outfits are... not good."

"They're practical! You just want to play dress-up."

"Perhaps," laughed Wrathion. "Please, just trust me. I can find or make you dresses that are practical _and_ pretty."

"Lady Katherine and Jaina helped me pick them out. Jaina will notice if I stop wearing them. I don't want to insult her more than I already have."

Anduin tilted his head. "Insult Jaina? What do you mean?"

She fidgeted with the skirt of the practical gown she was wearing, "I talked to Jaina after dinner. I asked her if I might be able to have my ambassadorship back, but she wouldn't give me an answer. I think I might have upset her by running off the way I did..."

 _Or Jaina knows how hard it would be to be an ambassador while preparing to be queen..._ thought Anduin. He took a deep breath and wished his heart would stop beating so fast.

"I don't think Jaina is upset with you... Taelia, there's something I need to tell you. Come with me, we should probably sit," he said, offering her his arm and leading her deeper into the garden.

He took them down a path that led to a clearing with a fountain. The peaceful sound of trickling water and the little enchanted candles that floated on the surface set a romantic atmosphere. Anduin hoped it wasn't about to go to waste as he sat beside Taelia on a bench, Wrathion taking the spot on the other side of her.

"Anduin, what's wrong?" asked Taelia as he took her hands in his.

"Taelia, do you remember the rumor you heard the day we snuck out? The one about the nobles forcing me to marry?"

"Oh...," she said quietly.

He squeezed her hands in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture, but was really just an attempt to disguise his shaking.

"Taelia... it's happening. On my twentieth birthday, they passed a resolution that said I have a year to marry someone they deem acceptable. If I don't, they're going to suspend all payments towards the war effort. Everything from debts to soldier's pay to support for veterans will all be cut off."

He paused a moment to let that sink in, watching the emotions on her face go from shock to anger to dismay.

"Someone they deem acceptable...," she echoed forlornly as she looked down at their entwined hands. "What does that mean?"

"They've given me a list of candidates they wish for me to choose from, alternatively I may present to them a soulmate capable of giving me human heirs."

She looked back up in surprise, clutching his hands tightly.

"I know the last time we talked about marriage you said you weren't ready. I promised you that I wouldn't pressure you to do anything you didn't want to do, and I want to keep that promise, but..." He glanced towards Wrathion who gave him a small reassuring nod. "Taelia, I love you. You're the only woman I want to marry, the only one I want to be my queen... I'm asking if you would consider it. I promise I will respect your answer either way. If you need more time I will do everything in my power to give you that. I've been looking, and there might be a way to--"

"Yes."

Every thought in his mind came to a crashing halt. "What?"

"Yes, Anduin. I'll marry you."

"You-- You'll--," choked Anduin.

She gave him a wry smile. "I love you too, Anduin. Of course I'll marry you. Tides, I thought you were about to tell me that I wasn't an option!"

"I told him you would," muttered Wrathion beside her, and she nudged his foot with hers.

All the anxiety and dread that had been plaguing him melted away and was replaced with overwhelming joy. He couldn't help his laughter or the tears of relief that sprang to his eyes as he pulled her close and showered her face with kisses. "I can't believe... I mean... Are you sure about this?"

She laughed at his affection, playfully batting him away so she could answer him. "Did you really think I would abandon you in this?" Her fingers moved to his wrist, brushing over his covered soulmarks. "You're my soulmate. Our fates are tied. I might have my misgivings, but I knew from the moment I met you that I was destined to be your queen. However... I do have one condition."

"Anything. Name it."

"I don't want to keep Wrathion a secret."

Wrathion who had been quietly enjoying his lovers' moment relaxing on the bench suddenly sat straight up. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want to hide our relationship. I don't want to keep our soulbonds a secret."

"Darling no!" Wrathion stood up, waving his hands as he argued, "You don't know what you're asking. Black dragons and Stormwind royalty do not have a good history. It's going to be nothing but trouble for the both of you if people find out another black dragon is fucking the king and queen of Stormwind!"

"Wrathion, how long do you think we'll be able to maintain the charade? You raised every eyebrow in the room just by calling me darling at dinner!" insisted Taelia.

"I'll stop."

"No! I don't want you to do that! I'm not going to spend the rest of my life sneaking around pretending I don't love you!"

Wrathion froze. The shock on his face made Anduin stifle a laugh. Apparently, he wasn't the only one Taelia was surprising that night.

"Wrathion, she's right," said Anduin gently. "I don't want to pretend either. Besides, it will be better if we can control how the information is presented to the public."

The dragon crossed his arms. "I don't know if it's worth the judgment the two of you will face."

"That's for us to decide," said Taelia. "Unless... there's a reason you want to remain a secret?"

"Is it the other dragons?" asked Anduin. He knew that the flights had an extremely hands-off approach when it came to dealing with mortals, Kalecgos and Wrathion being rare exceptions. Perhaps there was more stigma around having mortal soulmates than he knew.

"As if I should care what other dragons think," scoffed Wrathion. "The only opinion I _might_ care about is Ebyssian's, but he had a mortal soulmate himself and seemed happy for us. Technically by dragon standards, the two of you became my consorts as soon as we started sleeping together. Any dragon that comes near you will be able to smell my claim on you."

Anduin felt his face heat at the implications of that, having just yesterday stood in close proximity to several very important dragons. He shook it off, hoping the dimness would conceal his blush.

He stood up and put a hand against Wrathion's cheek. "If we're already your consorts, then what's stopping you from being ours?"

Wrathion uncrossed his arms and took Anduin's hand. "The scandal, the unnecessary scrutiny, the derision... Are you sure that's what you want?"

As Wrathion spoke, Anduin reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold band, holding it up so Wrathion could see it. The dragon's eyes locked onto it. He was speechless for several moments.

"You weren't in the vault looking for a gift for Taelia," Wrathion said in a hushed voice.

"No," laughed Anduin as he got down on one knee. "I wasn't."

"Anduin!" Wrathion exclaimed. Anduin held tight to his hand to keep him from stepping back in surprise.

"I know we haven't been reconciled for very long, but I spent years missing you and I don't want to waste any more time being apart. I want both my soulmates by my side. I love you, Wrathion. Will you marry me?"

Anduin heard Taelia make a small happy noise stifled by both hands over her mouth. They both eagerly looked to Wrathion awaiting his answer. Anduin didn't think he'd ever seen the dragon look so shocked.

"Yes," said Wrathion, "Yes, of course, I accept."

"Oh!" gushed Taelia looking so happy she could cry as Anduin slid the ring onto Wrathion's finger.

Still on one knee, Anduin shifted to face her and pulled out the little box containing the other ring. "Taelia, this ring was my mother's. Would you do me the honor of wearing it?"

"Anduin, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, "But, oh... I don't think it's going to fit me."

Anduin took the ring out of the box. She was right, any ring that had fit Tiffin Wrynn's far daintier hands was certainly not going to be the right size for her.

"I can fix that. May I?" asked Wrathion as Anduin relinquished the ring. His eyes flashed as he incanted a spell to resize it then handed it back to Anduin. "Ask me later and I will enchant to make it sturdier for you. With the way you fight it'll be in pieces after a week."

She laughed as Anduin slipped the ring onto her finger, then held up her hand to admire it.

"Anduin... you know they're not going to let you marry us both," said Wrathion as he twisted his own ring around his finger.

"Maybe not officially," Anduin admitted as he stood up, his knees protesting at the process. "I'm not going to let that stop us."

"What are we going to do? How in the world are we going to explain this to people?" asked Taelia.

"We'll... figure something out," said Anduin, "but for now no one needs to know anything, let's just enjoy this moment."

* * *

Taelia rolled her eyes as Wrathion sat in the chair behind Anduin's desk. It was the morning after their engagement, and they were in the king's office waiting for Anduin to return from a meeting so they could talk about how to address their news with the nobles.

"Not going to kick back with your boots up on the desk?" teased Taelia as Wrathion shuffled some of the papers around.

The dragon chuckled. "Not today. I'm curious what kind of paperwork keeps him so busy. I have a feeling that much of this could be delegated."

"He does have committees to help run things, that's what the nobles are for," said Taelia as she went to stand next to him. "However, from what I've gathered, Anduin takes a very hands-on approach to ruling. He feels like he needs to watch them closely for mismanagement. I think he's trying to make up for the years when the nobles were left unchecked and made many poor decisions for the kingdom."

"Ah yes, you're talking about when dear aunt Onyxia was Katrana Prestor."

"Right...," answered Taelia slowly as she realized the connection between the two black dragons, "but not all of the bad decisions were just because of her, and some of those same nobles are still around today and still have powerful voices in the House that need to be kept in check. However, a lot of them are old now and though Anduin will never admit it, I think he's looking forward to the day they either retire or--"

"Die-off?" finished Wrathion.

"Well... yes...," agreed Taelia with a wince, "but I was going to say _forced out by their younger successors._ There are only so many seats in the House allotted per noble family, and even I have heard some of the rumors and stories surrounding _that_ drama. There are a few in the younger generations who are getting tired of waiting their turn."

"I thought you said the nobles are not very fond of you. How do you know these things?"

Taelia shrugged. "They talk when they think I'm not listening... or they think I'm not important enough for it to matter."

She could see the gears turning behind Wrathion's calculating eyes. "Perhaps, my darling, it might be prudent to befriend some of those nobles of the younger generation. Anduin might have more allies in the House than he realizes."

She sighed and leaned against the desk. "Wrathion, how am I going to do this? I'm not built for political games. Put me on a battlefield or a ship with a weapon in my hands and a squad to lead. That's what I grew up training for. It's not fair that...," she trailed off.

"What's not fair, darling?" he prodded.

"Well... that _you_ can't be queen," she said with a laugh. "You've got a better head for these things than I do."

"That's why you have me," said Wrathion as he stood up and took her in his arms. "You don't have to do any of this alone. It's a different kind of battlefield, but you will learn your strengths on it. Don't underestimate yourself like those nobles have. Besides, war has never been where Anduin's strengths lie. There's nothing to say he won't need a queen who can help him lead troops as well. We'll support our soulmate the best way we know how. You can do that, yes?"

"Of course I can do that," she answered with a quick kiss on his cheek and then tried to move out of his embrace.

He kept her trapped between his arms against the desk.

"Wrathion...," she warned.

He grinned and lifted her up to sit on the edge of the desk, moving between her legs and leaning in to whisper against her neck, "I love the image of my warrior queen and my diplomatic king taking on the world..."

Her breath hitched. "This isn't a good place for this, love," she protested, trying half-heartedly to push him away, his nibbles beneath her jaw making her weak.

"I beg to differ," purred Wrathion as he trailed a hand up her leg, pushing up her skirt with it. "I do believe Anduin's meeting is over now... Why don't we give him something to think about while he sits here during those long hours of paperwork, hm?"

It was embarrassing how easily she melted, the warmth spreading across her entire body at his touch. She moaned as his hand stroked the outside of her thigh, his fingers playing with the edge of her stocking. Holding onto him so he couldn't lay her down on the desk and disturb _every_ paper, she nipped at his lips as an ineffective form of protest.

He growled and redoubled his efforts, pulling her even tighter against him and littering kisses down her neck, down her chest, tipping her back until his tongue teased the valley between her breasts, right above where the pendant he'd given her rested. She closed her eyes and let him do as he pleased, amazed by the insatiable desire she could feel beginning to stir between his legs. She hoped Anduin would come soon so they could take their private meeting back to the bedroom, the world outside forgotten for a little while longer...

Then the door opened.

"GET YOUR TREACHEROUS TALONS OFF OF HER!" shouted Genn Greymane.

The lovers immediately rocketed away from each other, Taelia quickly hopping off the desk and righting her dress as she moved to stand between her soulmate and the angry worgen.

"King Greymane! It's not what you think!" she exclaimed.

" _Vile creature!_ I knew I was right not to trust you! What have you done to her?!" snarled the old king as he shifted into worgen form.

"Your majesty, please--," started Wrathion.

"He's not a _creature!_ " Taelia shouted back and got into a fighting stance which gave the oncoming worgen pause.

"Calm down Taelia, you're being charmed! By the Light, I'm not going to stand by and let this happen again! Will you manipulative creatures never give up?!"

She could feel the rage inside her building as she moved towards her target. The wolf's considerable size didn't matter, she wasn't going to stand by and let her soulmate be attacked.

"Call him a creature _one more time_ and-- HEY! Wrathion _let me go!_ Put me down!" she yelled as the dragon in question grabbed her about the waist to keep her from initiating a fight with the elderly king.

At that point, a very bewildered Anduin entered his office. "What on Azeroth is going on?!"

"I thought I told you not to touch her!" growled Genn as he prepared to lunge. "Anduin! Stay back! The dragon has bespelled and seduced your soulmate! There's no telling what he's done to you too! He must be dealt with immediately!"

"Genn! Stop!" cried Anduin as he ran to get in front of the angry worgen. "What happened?!"

"He caught us, er... _kissing,_ " said Wrathion, still keeping a tight hold on the squirming Taelia.

"He was _molesting_ the future Queen of Stormwind!" roared Genn.

"Genn! I can explain! They're soulmates! They're _both_ my soulmates!"

Genn's jaw dropped as he stared down at Anduin.

"Soulmates?!" he echoed, flabbergasted.

"Yes, look," said Anduin as he quickly pulled up his sleeve and unwound the binding on his wrist. "TF for Taelia Fordragon and this one is Wrathion's initial in draconic. They're both my soulmates, and they're both soulmates to each other."

Genn was silent as he looked at the markings on Anduin's wrist. Anduin gestured to his soulmates to come forward. "Would you mind showing him?"

They exchanged wary glances before Wrathion released Taelia. They both rolled up their sleeves, approached cautiously, and held their wrists up next to Anduin's.

The air remained charged as the older king continued to examine their soulmarks, shoulders tense, mouth agape.

Finally, he deflated and muttered, "Light-dammit, she's always right."

"Um... Genn?"

"It would be nice to be right... maybe every once in a while," sighed Genn as the three soulmates looked at him in confusion. "Mia. After dinner she suspected it. I told her she was crazy. I don't know how she does it. She's _always_ right. You know I took her to watch the Brawler's Guild once? She called every fight. Who does that?"

He lumbered to the settee in the room and sat down, taking up the entire seat in his wolfish form.

The room descended into awkward silence.

Anduin cleared his throat. "Genn... you might be happy to know... Taelia has agreed to be my wife."


	29. Chapter 29

_To the Esteemed House of Nobles,_

_It is with great joy that I, King Anduin Wrynn, wish to inform the House of the happiest news._

_I have found my soulmate and she has agreed to become my wife and the next Queen of Stormwind. As per the stipulations of the House's latest request, she is indeed both human and capable of ensuring the continuation of House Wrynn. I expect this will meet with the House's approval._

_I would also like to apologize for my absence from the morning meeting scheduled earlier this week. I had a conflict that could not be avoided. I thank you for your patience and understanding._

_Anduin Llane Wrynn_  
_High King of the Alliance_

* * *

_To His Majesty, High King Anduin Wrynn,_

_The House of Nobles has agreed on the necessity of verifying the validity of his majesty's statements contained in his previous letter. We humbly request that his majesty present his chosen candidate for marriage at the next parliament session so that the candidate's eligibility for satisfying the requirements of House Mandate No. 1533 may be determined._

_We hope that his majesty does not experience any more unavoidable conflicts._

_Count Remington Ridgewell_  
_Speaker of the House of Nobles_

* * *

"Ow! Careful with those!"

"I _am_ being careful! You wouldn't get stabbed if you would stand still!"

Anduin looked up from his reading and sighed as his soulmates bickered on the other side of the bedchamber. Wrathion was on his knees trying to pin the hem of a dress he was working on for Taelia while Taelia frowned down at the dragon and fidgeted.

"I don't understand why this is necessary. Any one of my dresses would do. There's no need for you to rush this one," argued Taelia.

Wrathion placed another pin. "Darling, the nobles insist on judging whether or not they approve of you becoming queen. We're going to show them that they don't have a choice. You're going to walk into that chamber like the queen _you are_ , and in order to do that, you need to look the part. You wouldn't go into battle without your armor. Consider this your new armor."

"But I know how to _move_ in my armor. I'm comfortable in it," Taelia huffed. "I've never felt that way in a dress."

"If you're not comfortable in this dress, then I haven't done my job properly," said Wrathion. "Now be still!"

Anduin chuckled. Taelia shot him a disgruntled look. He just continued to smile as he watched Wrathion turn the layers of Stormwind-blue fabric into a gown worthy of a queen. The dragon's skilled tailoring was a mix of pins and magic, the dress coming together like a sculpture under the hands of an artist.

And she was gorgeous in it. He could tell Wrathion designed the garment to show off her best features, highlighting all of her beauty and hiding none of her strength. As much as Anduin dreaded the inevitable backlash from the noble leadership, he was also thrilled to show off his future queen to the world.

However, his future queen shared all of his worries and none of his excitement.

"Can you go through the plan again?" Taelia asked as she plucked at a string on the unfinished gown before Wrathion nudged her to stop.

"Of course," Anduin nodded. He set aside his book and moved closer as he talked. "Since it's typical protocol for the reigning monarch to be absent from House sessions, we will wait outside the chamber until we are summoned. When we go in, we'll stand in front of our designated seat and I'll announce my intention to marry you. I will do most of the talking. I expect they will ask to see our soulmarks as verification--"

"--and with a spell hiding my mark, you can both safely show them your wrists _without_ sparking outrage," finished Wrathion as he stood to examine his work. He snapped his fingers and the hem sewed itself, the pins disappearing.

"Hiding Wrathion's mark is the part I'm not sure about," said Taelia, touching her draconic soulmark. "If we hide him now, won't people be upset later when we announce him as our consort?"

"Let's get you confirmed as queen first, darling," replied Wrathion.

"Yes," agreed Anduin. "Besides, it will be better to introduce Wrathion as our consort slowly. It will give us more time to solidify his reputation, figure out how to spin the story."

Anduin noticed Wrathion's frown but didn't comment. He knew Wrathion still thought it was a bad idea to come out to the public as their consort at all.

Finally satisfied with his work, Wrathion went to the dresser and picked up a decorative metal shoulder-piece reminiscent of Taelia's pauldron. He secured it in place and said softly near her ear, "Now turn around and tell me what you think."

"Are you sure you're finished?" she teased. Wrathion hadn't let her look at the dress while it was still a work in progress. She rolled her eyes and began to turn around. "You and your flair for the dramatic--oh!"

Taelia froze at the sight of herself in the mirror, stunned by the completed masterpiece. She carefully touched the details with her fingertips, tracing the gold accents and smoothing her hands down the skirt. Anduin smiled as she twisted back and forth, watching the skirt swish and shimmer with her movement.

"Well, my darling? What do you think?" asked Wrathion.

She stood with her hands on her hips. "I think I get it now... how it's like a different kind of armor. I feel... pretty, but also... powerful?"

Wrathion smirked. "Well go on. Try to move in it."

She grinned and did a twirl before raising her arms and making a pretend hammer swing, both her soulmates laughed.

"Well I wouldn't go into battle in it, but I can move," she admitted. "You did a good job, love."

"And I can make every one of your dresses feel like that if you'll let me," said Wrathion.

Anduin went to her side and took her hand, placing a soft kiss before securing it in the crook of his elbow. "You'll enter the chamber on my arm just like this. I'll be by your side the whole time. Keep your head high. Do not curtsey or bow to anyone. As queen the only one you show deference to is me."

She looked wide-eyed at their reflections standing side by side. "But I'm not queen yet."

"Perception is key, darling," said Wrathion. "You're going to be walking into court wearing royal colors on the arm of the king. Anduin might as well crown you right then and there."

"I wish you could," sighed Taelia.

"I will soon enough," responded Anduin as he turned to face her and kissed her forehead, "and when I do, you're going to make a wonderful queen. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

She smiled. "I haven't let what the nobles say bother me so far, I'm not about to let it bother me now."

"Good," said Anduin with another kiss, this time on her lips, slow and more sensual. He pulled back and caressed her lower lip with his thumb. "Wrathion... could I trouble you to show me the proper way to remove this exquisite work of yours?"

The dragon flashed a smile and Taelia giggled as he embraced her from behind. "Why of course, your majesty," he said and kissed the king over her shoulder. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

The day of the House session came.

Taelia woke up right before the sun, surprised that she had slept at all. She removed herself from the tangle of her soulmates' limbs, careful not to disturb them, and wrapped herself in Anduin's robe before going out to the balcony. She looked out over the city, thinking about how her life was about to change. Fiddling with her engagement ring, still unused to wearing it, she wondered if its previous owner ever felt so nervous about the role she was about to take on.

"It's all right if you're having second thoughts," came the soft voice of Anduin from behind her.

She spun around. "Did I wake you?"

Anduin shook his head and moved to stand beside her, both of them looking out over the kingdom she would soon help him rule.

"I'm not having second thoughts," she said.

"It's not too late to change your mind. You don't have to do this."

"Strangely enough, I don't feel like running," she responded and meant it. She felt secure in the knowledge that with Wrathion's help she could achieve her dreams, and that Anduin believed she could be the queen he needed despite her own misgivings. "I know this is what I'm supposed to do. The three of us need each other. I think as long as we're together then everything is going to be fine."

Anduin let out a relieved breath. She smiled and moved into his arms. Since returning to Stormwind, the three of them had spent every spare moment together... or at least as much as they could without arousing suspicion. Despite the other stressors in his life, Anduin seemed happier than ever, but he was still acclimating to the excessive attention from his soulmates. There were moments when he seemed surprised that they were there for him, that they intended on being there for good, and that she genuinely wanted to marry him. Slowly she and Wrathion were teaching him how to trust and rely on them, but she understood if sometimes he needed a little extra assurance.

She held him for a while as they watched the sunrise.

"We uh... we should probably go back inside," he said as he broke away. "One of the gryphon-riders might see."

"Won't matter soon," she responded but followed him in anyway.

Closing the door to the balcony caused Wrathion to stir in the bed. He yawned and stretched, not unlike a large cat, and sat up blinking at them. Taelia bit her lip to stifle a giggle at the sight of his free curls sticking up at random. She enjoyed the privilege of seeing him like this in the mornings, relaxed and at ease. The dragon rolled from the bed and strode past them to the bathroom, completely unashamed of his unclothed state. As if it were an afterthought, he snapped his fingers, materializing a pair of loose lounge pants and magically settling his hair.

Each of them went through their morning routines, with the exception of Wrathion who helped Taelia with her hair and makeup despite her protests that she could do it herself. She had to admit that he did a better job than she would have, and there was a small part of her that enjoyed his fussing. She also let him help her into the regal dress, soothed by his warm hands on her back as he laced it up.

When Wrathion was done, he beckoned to Anduin and put a hand on both their wrists over their soulmarks. His red eyes flashed and just like that their draconic soulmarks were no longer there.

Taelia's heart clenched as she examined the empty space on her arm by Anduin's initials. It was a sight every person with a soulmate dreaded, the blank wrist usually the indicator of a deceased partner.

She couldn't help it, she went to Wrathion's arms, held him tight, and whispered, "One day I will wear your mark as proudly as I wear Anduin's."

Wrathion drew back and looked at both of his soulmates. "You are _mine_ ," he said, his voice laced with a possessive growl. "Your marks are hidden, but nothing can break our bond. Don't ever forget that."

* * *

Taelia squeezed Anduin's arm as they walked through Stormwind Keep to the House of Noble's parliament chamber. With the two of them in matching blue and gold regalia, they drew stares from everyone they passed. Every guard and servant looked at them with open astonishment, curiosity, and a surprising number of approving smiles.

"Are you ready?" asked Anduin as they stood outside the chamber.

Taelia gave him a quick kiss, not caring who might see. "I'm ready."

The courier came to announce them. Taelia's stomach lurched as the guards opened the chamber doors but she steeled herself with a smile, held her head high, and together they swept into the room.

Every eye tracked them and the congregation rose at the entrance of the king and his chosen. The large room was filled to the brim with nobles, not one of the tiered seats in the room was empty. The soft sounds of astonishment from so many people was daunting, but she kept her composure, slightly comforted by the glimpse of Wrathion standing between Jaina and Shaw in the section with Anduin's advisors. She didn't let her gaze linger on him though.

Anduin led her to the bench where they would be sitting and together they faced the dais at the head of the room. There, presiding over the House, were three of the most stern-faced old nobles Taelia had ever seen. From her memory of Anduin's coaching, she pulled their names and roles. To the left was Viscountess Cynthia Gillam, the Parliamentarian, adviser to the speaker on the laws and House precedents. To the right was Lord Edgar Harrington, the Clerk of the House, whose job it was to officially seal passed bills and deliver formal documents to the king. And in the very center, the man gazing at her through narrowed eyes, was the Speaker of the House, Count Remington Ridgewell himself.

"Please be seated," said Anduin. The room obeyed, but Taelia stayed by his side. "Lords and ladies of the House, I bring before you today Lady Taelia Fordragon, daughter of former regent Highlord Bolvar Fordragon... and my soulmate. I have asked her to marry me, and she has graciously accepted. As requested, we have come before you to declare our intent to wed, and prove that we satisfy the requirements of the recent House mandate." Anduin paused to turn and look at her with soft eyes. "The Light has blessed me with a kind and brave soulmate whom I believe will make a great leader for our people as the Queen of Stormwind." He turned to stare back at Count Ridgewell. "I trust the House will come to the same conclusion that I have."

At the end of his statement, Taelia could feel herself blushing as she sat down on the bench. All of those things Anduin had said to her before, but having him announce them to the entirety of Stormwind leadership was startling.

Count Ridgewell stood. "The House is grateful that his majesty agreed to this meeting today... and that his majesty was able to appear for it. With your permission, we'd like to begin with a few questions."

"Of course."

"When did you first meet Lady Fordragon?"

"We met on the day the Alliance welcomed Kul Tiras back as an ally. Lady Katherine Proudmore introduced her to me as a hero of their nation," answered Anduin.

"There were witnesses to this meeting?"

"Yes, dozens. Several of my advisors were present as well as the Kul Tiran leadership."

The nobleman's frown deepened. "Multiple witnesses to your meeting, yet the news of the king having found his soulmate never reached our ears. Why is that, your majesty?"

"Given that we met in the middle of a ceremony, it shouldn't surprise you that not many people noticed our bond reaction let alone recognized it for what it was."

"Yet even after the ceremony, you chose not to reveal this information. Why?"

"It was the height of the war," explained Anduin, "it was decided that for her safety and for the good of the Alliance that this knowledge should be kept to a select group of my advisors. There were fears of what the Horde might do with the information."

The count's eyes went to the rows of Anduin's advisor sitting in the back of the room. "And who was this select group of advisors?"

"I don't believe that information is relevant," replied Anduin.

Count Remington gave him a hard look as if the force of his glare would be able to make the stubborn young king waver.

It had no such effect.

"Very well. I believe Lady Fordragon was made Ambassador of Kul Tiras and relocated to Stormwind Keep soon after that ceremony, is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"I understand why it might be prudent to keep the information secret during the war, but what reason did your majesty have for continuing to keep the secret after the war?"

"I wished to continue courting Lady Fordragon in private."

"Courting."

"...yes."

"How have you been courting the lady?"

"Again, I do not see how that information is relevant."

"Forgive me, your majesty, I am just trying to understand your story. You claim that Lady Fordragon is your soulmate, you met her in front of a crowd, and yet no one noticed. She moved to Stormwind to live in the keep with you, and your unnamed advisors were the only ones aware of this. You claim to have courted her, and yet there have been no rumors, not even a hint of this courtship having occurred."

Anduin clasped his hands behind his back. "Speak plainly, Speaker Ridgewell. I would hate to assume you're accusing me of dishonesty."

The speaker leaned forward on his podium. "Assume not, your majesty. I think you _are_ being dishonest with us. I don't believe that woman is your soulmate."

There were sounds of agreement and dissatisfaction reverberating around the room, and Taelia could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She glanced around at the frowns and unveiled disdain from the other nobles directed at her. Not even the depths of Ny'alotha had she felt so surrounded by hostile forces.

She looked at Anduin and could see his righteous anger. They had expected this sort of response, but she couldn't imagine Anduin got accused of lying very often, and in this case, he had been nothing but honest.

Anduin gestured towards her. "My soulmate and I have come before you today intending on proving ourselves. You have every right to doubt my word, but there is one sign that cannot be called into question. Lady Fordragon and I are prepared to show the House our soulmarks."

Taelia saw the corners of the old noble's mouth twitch up.

"I am glad you would say that your majesty," nodded the count. "The House is indeed very interested in examining the proof of your bond. However, I would have to disagree with you on the reliability of soulmarks. Initials on one's arm... so easily contrived, wouldn't you agree?"

Anduin snapped, "First you call my word into question, and now you imply that we have faked our soulmarks." From the shade of red his face was turning, Taelia could tell he was putting effort into keeping his composure. "I would very much like to hear how you plan to resolve this, Speaker."

"Of course, your majesty." The count shuffled a few papers on the podium, though Taelia guessed that it was just for show. "At this time, the House would like to call upon Magister Dresden Telenius of the Kirin Tor."

The doors to the chamber behind them opened and a frazzled mage entered the room. He paused for a moment to look wide-eyed back at the large gathering of people staring at him before ducking his head and continuing down the aisle to the center of the chamber. He stopped in front of the speaker's podium.

"Magister Telenius, thank you for being here today. Just for our records, would you mind taking a moment to tell us who you are and why you have been called here?" asked Count Remington, looking entirely too smug.

The mage gave a quick nod. "Yes sir. My name is Dresden Telenius. I believe you asked me here because of my research on soulbonds and the dissertation I'm writing about how to detect them."

"--and, of course, for your membership in the Kirin Tor, an independent neutral faction," explained the count with a meaningful glance towards Anduin. "Your majesty, Magister Telenius has agreed to offer his skills and knowledge to help us solve our question of integrity. The good mage has developed a spell that he says will reveal the soulbond between two people... should one exist of course."

"That's right," said the mage. "I'd be happy to explain the concept behind my work, or String Theory, as I have named it. To get the full picture you really have to wait for my dissertation to be published, but that's probably not going to be for another several--"

"Thank you, magister," interrupted the Speaker before turning his attention back to Anduin. "King Wrynn, would you and your soulmate consent to participating in a test of this kind?"

Anduin addressed the mage, "What would we have to do?"

"Just stand in my ritual circle. It's a divination spell that can be performed right here."

 _Jaina says the mage is legitimate,_ came the sound of Wrathion's voice in Taelia's head. Anduin looked at Taelia and she knew he'd heard the same thing.

What choice did they have? Taelia gave him a nod.

"We agree to your test Speaker," answered Anduin.

The count seemed surprised by that response but motioned for the mage to begin setting up his spell. Hushed conversations broke out all over the chamber as the strange man pulled out a silvery rope and laid it in a circle. Walking around it murmuring to himself as he made adjustments, he poured little piles of grey powder on the inside of the rope.

"Your majesty, my lady, if you would...," said the mage as he gestured for Anduin and Taelia to come forward.

She got to her feet and went where the man directed her, carefully lifting her skirt to not disturb the powder or rope on the floor as she stepped into the circle. He instructed Anduin to stand in the circle on the opposite side facing her.

"Would you mind holding out your marked wrists please?" he asked.

She met Anduin's eyes as he rolled up his sleeve and she held out her bare wrist.

_Wrathion, what's this going to do to your illusion?_

_I don't know._

"I'm ready, Speaker," said the mage. Count Remington gave him a nod, and Taelia held her breath as the man began to chant.

The powder lifted from the piles into the air, floating up and drifting languidly around them like dust particles in the sunlight. The powder floated higher and higher in the cylindrical space until the haze was higher than their heads. As the chanting finished, Taelia felt a warmth on her wrist and in her chest. It was a specific feeling she had experienced exactly twice, once when meeting Anduin and once when meeting Wrathion. She looked down at her wrist and saw that Anduin's mark was aglow.

She could already hear the astonishment of the room, but the mage didn't seem to be done yet. He reached into a pouch and came out with a handful of red powder. He held the red dust in front of his face and blew it into the circle. Unlike the lazy grey dust, the red flew with a purpose, moving to form a clear Y-shape. From a central point branched three red lines, one that led at Taelia, one that led to Anduin, and one that ended at the edge of the ritual circle. Taelia followed the direction of the third branch with her eyes and traced it to the section of Anduin's advisors. She knew that if the circle were bigger, that red line would end right where Wrathion was seated.

"Oh, how fascinating!" exclaimed the mage. "I've never had the chance to see a polybond before! ...but why do you two only have one mark?"

"A polybond? What does that mean?" demanded Count Ridgewell "Are they soulmates or not?!"

The mage turned to face the dais. "Yes, they are most definitely soulmates, you can see their marks reacted as expected, and they are, in fact, connected. However, their bond involves another. Based on the solidity of that line, whomever it is is probably in right over there," explained the mage as he pointed towards the back of the room.

The volume of chatter rose as everyone looked in that direction. Taelia noticed Genn with his hand over his face, Jaina looking shocked, and Shaw had his trademarked disappointed glare. The rest of the advisors just looked among each other confused. Wrathion had his eyes fixed on the floor.

 _I think the jig is up, love,_ thought Taelia to him.

The dragon slowly rose from his seat and the room fell into a shocked silence. Wrathion took off his gloves and coat and laid them in his seat. He made his way out of the row and down the aisle to the center of the room. He stood at the edge of the circle, the third red line pointing directly at him. He rolled up his sleeve, stepped into the circle, and held up this wrist. With a wave of his other hand, Taelia and Anduin's draconic soulmarks reappeared glowing defiantly on their wrists.

The room exploded with noise as everyone exclaimed their shock and arguments broke out among the rows of nobles.

"Order!" shouted Count Ridgewell as he banged a gavel. "This session will come to order!"

By the time the chamber had settled, the spell faded, and the powder hanging in the air fell, some of it landing on the three subjects in the circle.

"Sorry about that," mumbled the mage as they brushed themselves off.

"Magister Telenius, let me see if I understand this correctly," said Count Ridgewell, with strained patience, "King Wrynn has two soulmarks and therefore two soulmates. One of them is Lady Fordragon and the other is the Black Prince?!"

"Yes, apparently so," answered the mage, who had gotten out a notebook, clearly itching to write down his findings.

"King Wrynn, it seems I was correct about your dishonesty, just not the nature of it."

Anduin was quiet for a moment as if considering his next words very carefully.

"You're right, Speaker. I was dishonest with the House about the existence of my other soulmate and for that, I apologize. Since the day I was born, I have kept my soulmarks hidden from the public in an attempt to have some semblance of privacy in this aspect of my personal life. This deception was simply an extension of that. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the difficulties that go along with navigating and building a relationship based on these bonds that fate has determined for us. Imagine having to do that with the whole world watching you.

"But, my lords and ladies, I came before you all today with the intention of proving that Lady Taelia Fordragon and I are soulmates. It has now been demonstrated beyond a doubt that we are bound to each other. With all due respect, Speaker, our relationship with Prince Wrathion changes nothing."

More murmurs of surprise rippled throughout the chamber.

"As poor a choice of paramour a black dragon may be, the House does not concern itself with whom a king chooses to take to his bed. Our laws about the results of such extramarital affairs are clear, children of such unions are not in line for the throne. Assuming that Prince Wrathion isn't capable of bearing you children, those laws aren't even applicable," said Count Ridgewell with a derisive snort. "However, the House has every right to be concerned with a queen's fidelity! It is expected that the children she bears are the legitimate heirs to the throne!"

Taelia felt a blush rising in her face again at the indignity of having her love life discussed in a public forum. She could see Anduin wasn't faring much better, and Wrathion was staring daggers at the man.

"My king, you must understand," continued the count, "how can you expect us to accept a queen who has the soulmark of another? How can you expect the kingdom to trust the next monarch is the rightful heir and not an illegitimate _half-dragon_ at that?!"

"Because it is impossible," answered Wrathion calmly.

Taelia's gaze snapped to him. "What?!" she said aloud.

Wrathion kept his eyes on the nobleman.

"What did you say?" hissed Count Ridgewell.

"It is impossible for that to happen. Dragons and mortals cannot procreate. It is impossible for Lady Fordragon and I to have children."

Taelia stared at him in shock. _Wrathion, what?!_

"Can you verify that statement?" asked the count.

"You will not find evidence to the contrary," replied Wrathion. "In all of recorded Azerothian history, it has never happened, despite my knowledge of at least three other similar relationships. Besides, magic to verify paternity and legitimacy can be employed by third parties such as Magister Telenius. Isn't that right Magister?"

The startled mage looked up from his notes. "Oh... oh yes. That's not my area of expertise, but spells like that do exist."

Count Ridgewell did not look pleased by that answer.

"I understand your concerns, Speaker," said Anduin, quick to recover from his own surprise, "but given this information, and especially given that the bonded status of my soulmate isn't mentioned in the mandate, is the House willing to concede that she meets its stipulations?"

In short, the answer was no, he wasn't willing to concede, but the Speaker of the House decided to grandstand about the virtue of a queen despite recognizing Anduin's points were correct. They argued back and forth for about an hour before Count Ridgewell opened up the floor to questions from the other nobles which was when things went from bad to worse.

Most of the questions were irrelevant interrogations of Wrathion and his intentions for taking over the throne which he made clear he had none. Other concerns were that he was simply taking the place of Katrana Prestor and seeking to mind-control his soulmates. Anduin brought up the existence of wards in Stormwind Keep preventing such magic from going undetected ever again. A few nobles were willing to concede to Taelia becoming queen if they could banish Wrathion from the kingdom, but the trio found a surprising ally in Viscountess Gillam when she pointed to the laws that protected him as an advisor and ambassador. Given that Wrathion hadn't broken any laws, was now a hero of the realm, and exiling him would be wildly unpopular, it was dismissed as an option.

The worst line of questioning came when the very same Lord Huntzberger who had given her the awful tour of Stormwind called Taelia forward and asked if her virginity was still "intact." Anduin was ready to smite the man and Wrathion probably would have spat fire had several younger nobles not stood up and shouted that the lord's question was out of line. Based on the argument that ensued, Taelia gathered that this was a contentious issue for the nobles. A few older nobles were of the opinion that a queen should be "pure" on her wedding night, while others argued that a test of virginity would disqualify most of the marriage candidates on their list. Several brought up the point that it was also counterproductive to their expectation that an heir should be sired as soon as possible.

The session went on for hour after mortifying hour with little agreement to be found. It wasn't until the sound of Stormwind's clock striking six that Count Ridgewell decided to call an end to the session with plans to continue the next day.

It was late evening by the time the three of them managed to extract themselves from the throng of advisors bombarding them with questions and barricaded themselves in Anduin's rooms.

Taelia kicked off her fancy slippers, not caring where she flung them.

"I need a drink."

* * *

Wrathion's camouflaged eyes watched as his soulmate downed her second mug of beer and waved at the Lion's Pride Inn waitress for another. Anduin, who was still working on his second drink, sat beside him. Wrathion had his arm draped around the king and played with the dark ponytail at the back of his soulmate's neck, trying not to hate the fact that he had to hide his beautiful blond hair in order to go out like a normal person.

 _Soon we'll need a disguise for Taelia as well,_ thought the dragon to himself, already running through the list of charms he would use to achieve one. This was probably the last night she'd be able to go out before news of their bonded status spread. He wondered how much longer it would be, and if the nobles planned to disseminate the information. He had already sent Right to put the Blacktalons of Stormwind on high alert, watching the nobles closely for anything that might give away their next move.

He still sipped at his first drink. He had a feeling there was still much work to be done.

"That was the most humiliating thing I have ever experienced," mumbled Taelia into the fresh drink.

Anduin commiserated, "Taelia, I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," she responded with a shrug, "What I don't understand is why it's okay for you to fuck whoever you'd want, but apparently _my_ sexuality belongs to Stormwind! Tidemother forbid the queen should even _look_ in the wrong direction!"

"By the Light, I can't believe they thought I'd taken a secret celibacy vow," groaned Anduin.

Wrathion laughed, "At least their concerns about me accidentally maiming you in bed seemed very heartfelt."

Taelia spluttered and Anduin went even more red-faced.

"Tides, what are we going to do now? How are we going to get them to accept me? Accept _us_?"

Anduin reached across the table for her hand. "We have to stand our ground. If they follow the letter of the law, there's nothing they can do."

The possibility of the nobles going outside the law was exactly Wrathion's concern. Every so often he'd glance towards the door, expecting Right or one of his other agents to come through it with news at any moment. What he wasn't expecting was the entrance of an agent of a different kind.

Taelia looked up from her mug in recognition of the large, auburn-haired man standing at the front of the inn. "Flynn?!"

At the sound of his name, the captain smiled and started making his way to their table, but not before Taelia shot out of the booth and launched herself into his arms at full speed.

"Flynn, what are you doing here?!"

He laughed as he caught her and hugged her back, "Just got back from another successful run! A little bird told me you might be here. I heard you've had a rough day."

"You have no idea," she sighed. "But come here, come here!" She took his arm and dragged him over to sit beside her in the booth.

Wrathion raised an eyebrow at the man now sitting at the table across from him.

"Flynn, this is Wrathion, my other soulmate!" she introduced with pride. "Wrathion, this is Flynn, my best mate from Kul Tiras."

"Nice to finally meet you," said Flynn and stuck out his hand. "You're really a dragon?"

Wrathion shook the captain's hand and gave him an amused smile. "Fire-breathing and everything."

"Amazing, now I can check meeting a dragon off my bucket list! And who is this fine young lad?" asked Flynn with a wink towards the disguised Anduin.

Taelia laughed and gave him a playful elbow to the ribs. "No flirting!"

"I'm just sayin' he and I haven't met _unofficially!_ You know I've only got eyes for Matt. Hey, aren't congratulations in order? Let me see that big shiny rock on your finger...," said Flynn, taking her hand to inspect her engagement ring. He gave a low whistle. "Well done your majesty, she could hock that for a very pretty penny."

"Flynn!" she exclaimed and pulled her hand away scandalized.

Anduin snickered at the former pirate's antics. The mood continued to lighten as Flynn ordered another round for the four of them and laughed and joked with Taelia, regaling her soulmates with tales of their adventures in Kul Tiras. Wrathion's keen eye noticed Flynn was not imbibing as heavily as he would have expected of someone whose stories often featured being drunk. As glad as he was that Flynn's presence seemed to be lifting his soulmate's spirits, Wrathion had his suspicions about the real reasons behind the captain's visit.

After catching Flynn up with what she'd been doing in Silithus, Taelia filled her friend in on what was going on at the moment with the nobles.

"Tides, I don't blame you for wanting to get out for a while... Oh, I know just what we need! Let's play a game! Never Have I Ever!" exclaimed Flynn, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Here, I'll start: Never have I ever fucked a dragon."

"NO! I am not playing that! I've had to answer enough embarrassing questions about my love life today," groaned Taelia.

"Fine, you pick the game, I'll go fetch another round. Ha! I bet I would have gotten all three of you with that one though," chuckled Flynn as he got up and went to the bar.

Taelia and Anduin's curious eyes slipped towards Wrathion.

"No, he wouldn't have," he assured his partners as he stood from the booth. "Stay here, I'll go help him carry."

Wrathion made his way across the tavern room and leaned against the bar next to the captain.

"A sailor spending his first night ashore at a bar with his friend instead of home in the arms of his soulmate... seems unusual."

"Canny," said Flynn, raising his mug to the dragon.

"I'm good at picking out spies."

Flynn chuckled. "I won't lie to you mate, as nice as it is to see Tae, there's someone else I'd much rather be with right now. Unfortunately, my soulmate isn't the type to relax as long he knows there's trouble afoot."

"And what trouble is that?"

The captain looked him up and down.

"I'm not going to hurt them," asserted Wrathion. "They're safe with me."

"There's a thick file at SI:7 with your name on it that makes Matt think otherwise."

Wrathion narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Hey, Tae clearly trusts you. That's good enough for me," said Flynn, holding his hands up in surrender. "I used to be the kind of person no one had any reason to trust either until she decided to. I get it."

"But you're worried she's going to regret her decision with me."

Flynn just shrugged.

Wrathion looked back at the table where his soulmates were laughing with each other and playing their own game of some sort, one that involved Taelia making Anduin blush a lot.

"I love them," said Wrathion. "I know how fortunate I am to have two forgiving soulmates. I fell from grace once. I know what the stakes are. It's not going to happen again."

Flynn gave him a discerning look, searching for any sign of duplicity. After a moment he nodded and said, "All right mate."

Wrathion was surprised with himself, not usually so candid with someone he barely knew, but he found himself wanting the approval of his soulmate's friend. However, he was annoyed that his suspicions about why Flynn had been sent were correct. The dragon cleared his throat as the bartender brought the drinks, "You can tell your spymaster we don't need a sitter."

Flynn laughed, "I will, I swear I already did! I would be happy to get back to him, but your um... better two-thirds over there are drinking enough for the entire bar. I would hate to leave you wrangling alone."

"I suppose they deserve to indulge," sighed Wrathion as they grabbed the drinks and headed back to the table.

"I'm a little surprised they made you the designated... uh... dragon."

"Let's just say your soulmate isn't the only one expecting to work late tonight."

As the evening progressed and they talked more, Wrathion couldn't help but like the former pirate despite knowing that any information Flynn learned was certainly going to get back to Mathias Shaw.

It was around midnight when they decided that Taelia and Anduin had sufficiently drowned their indignity for the day and it was time to get them back to the keep. The two future monarchs were at the stage where they were still able to walk, but couldn't be trusted to get anywhere without running into everything. Wrathion was actually glad to have Flynn as an extra helping hand... since Anduin turned out to be a stubborn drunk.

"I don't wanna go back," slurred the king, refusing to budge from his seat. "Can't we stay here a little longer?"

"No. Now up you go," said Wrathion, pulling him to his feet and starting to herd him to the door.

"Wrathionnnnn...," he complained, dragging his feet.

Wrathion turned to Flynn, "I think I might have to carry him, can you get her?" he asked, nodding to Taelia who had her head down on the table and might have started drifting off.

"No way mate, Tae's a handsy drunk. You take her, I'll get him," said Flynn, and without further prompting, picked up Anduin and casually slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Put me down!" exclaimed the disgruntled king, flailing in an unsuccessful attempt to get free.

Wrathion decided he would save his questions about how Flynn knew that for later. He sighed and scooped up his other soulmate, "Come on, darling. Let's find you a better place to sleep."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," she murmured, arms wrapping around his neck as she nuzzled him.

They caught up with Flynn outside and began making their way back to Stormwind. Occasionally Anduin would try to squirm or argue about not wanting to go back, but the walk was mostly silent. It was dark trudging along the forest road, but they had the glitter of the city in the distance to guide them.

As they walked, Taelia's hands lazily tangled in his hair and she occasionally placed messy kisses wherever her lips could reach. Her touch was affectionate, but Wrathion could sense her emotions in turmoil. Disappointment and sadness radiated from her, and with the help of her necklace, he could tell it was directed at him.

"What's the matter, darling?" he whispered to her.

"Why didn't you tell me we can't have kids?" she asked in a sad, slurred voice.

"Because we can," he said softly.

He could feel her surprise. "But... in session you said..."

"I lied."

She held onto him tighter. "Really?"

"Yes, I'll tell you more about it later... when you're more likely to remember."

"Soooo... I can have your babies?" she asked a little too loudly.

Flynn snorted.

Wrathion smiled in the dark. "You need to have Anduin's babies first, darling."

She giggled, "Okay."

Anduin groaned and again tried to wiggle from his captor's grasp.

"I'm gonna smite you, Flynn," he threatened. "As soon as I figure out how to turn the Light back on."

The captain laughed, "I'm sure you will, your majesty. I'm sure you will."

* * *

Using the secret entrance, Flynn helped Wrathion smuggle his soulmates inside the keep. After plopping Anduin down on the bed, Flynn seemed satisfied that his job was now done, and left to find his own soulmate. Wrathion secured the secret bookshelf door closed behind the captain. He then removed his lovers' outerwear, tucked them into bed, and tried to get them to drink some water before they passed out.

He was in the bathroom searching for potions to help with their inevitable headaches when he heard the sound of light tapping on glass. Looking to the balcony doors, he saw the person he'd been expecting all night. He opened the door for Right to let her in, putting a finger up to his lips to signal quiet before leading her into the adjoining sitting room.

"What did you find?" he asked once he'd closed the door on his sleeping soulmates.

"It's not good," she said and pulled a folded newspaper from her cloak and handed it to him. "I intercepted a copy of this being sent from the office of a newspaper owned by Lord Huntzberger."

Wrathion unfolded the draft of The Stormwind Enquirer and his eyes went wide at the frontpage headline.

_ROYAL SOULMATE SCANDAL: BLACK DRAGON MAKES CUCKOLD OF KING_

He quickly skimmed the article and found its contents equally horrifying. It detailed a sordid story of treachery and deceit on his and Taelia's part, manipulating Anduin for power, using their status as his soulmates to gain his trust, turning into the next generation of Prestors all so they could place their illegitimate half-black-dragon bastards on the throne of Stormwind to rule and exploit the lowly human populace.

"They've ordered a double print to be delivered tomorrow morning to every doorstep in Stormwind. There's still time to stop it, I've already sent agents to find where it's being printed..."

Wrathion scoffed, "Look at these other headlines... _Lord Admiral Jaina Proudmore Seeks Therapy... Top 5 Possible Locations King Varian Wrynn Secretly Living... Sylvanas Boosts Her Boobs: Experts Spot Sure Signs of Surgery..._ Does anyone believe this garbage?"

"It's going to be in the hands of every citizen by tomorrow, do you really want to wait and find out? As soon as we find the print shop it should be easy enough to dismantle some vital piece of equipment and--"

"Wait... you said you intercepted this from the newspaper office, you know where the editor is?"

"Yes."

Wrathion grinned. "Take me to them. I have an idea."

* * *

The writer and editor of _The Stormwind Enquirer_ yawned and stretched at her desk. She had sent the morning's paper off to the printer, but there was still work to be done. With the double print, she was expecting a surge in subscriptions, and the avid readers would be hungry for a new editorial from _Druid Whistlewind_ , her pseudonym. She couldn't believe her luck when her boss, Lord Huntzberger, had come to her with the offer and the juiciest story she'd ever had the opportunity to write. With all the gold she was being paid, the late night was worth it.

She startled at the sound of a loud knock at the office door. There was no one else in the newspaper building and it was almost one in the morning, whoever was there was either lost or looking for trouble. Luckily the door was locked. She held her breath and waited a full minute before getting up and moving to peek out the front window.

She saw nothing. The street was empty.

With a sigh of relief, she turned around.... and then froze. Sitting in her chair with his feet up on her desk was the very dragon she'd just been writing about. From the glare of his glowing red eyes, he didn't look happy.

"Druid Whistlewind I presume?" The dragon slapped the newspaper draft down on her desk. "I just read your latest piece. I have a few... suggestions for you."

* * *

Anduin awoke to a stabbing pain behind his eyes and a loud pounding at his chamber doors. The sun cheerfully streaming through the windows only made matters worse. He slowly sat up and put a hand to his head. It was all he could do to cast a small healing spell for some momentary relief.

"Make the loud noise stop," groaned Taelia, and pulled his pillow out from under him, placing it over her head.

Anduin dragged himself from the bed, put on his robe, and went to answer the door.

"Your majesty," said Mathias Shaw, "I have important news, may I come in?"

"Would you really go away if I said no?" deadpanned Anduin and stood aside to let the spymaster into the sitting room. "What time is it anyway? We've still got a few hours until the next House session--"

"The session has been called off."

Anduin's head jerked up in surprise. "What?! Why?"

"I think you should read this," said Shaw, handing him a letter with the official seal of the House of Nobles. "They just left it for you in your office."

Anduin broke the seal and opened the letter, his eyes quickly running over the fine calligraphy. In his bleary-eyed state, the words ran together, but he did manage to pick out things like _sufficient_ and _meeting mandated requirements..._

"They've agreed!" he exclaimed in astonishment, unable to believe the words in front of his face. "They've confirmed Taelia satisfies the mandate!"

"What's going on?" mumbled Taelia as she stumbled into the room.

Anduin smiled at her. "Taelia! Look! We can get married! You're going to be queen!"

She took the letter from his hands and read through it. "They want Wrathion to sign something... and they want me to take a fertility test."

"That shouldn't be an issue. Just a quick spell from a certified healer."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Had they been alone, Anduin knew he'd be in for a round of questioning about why he was so certain she'd pass. He felt his face heat, as he realized later he'd have to confess knowledge of such spells and already having used them to check.

"Why did they concede though? Surely this didn't--"

"Good morning all," greeted Wrathion as he entered the room without knocking. Anduin noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from the night before.

"Wrathion, where have you been?" Anduin asked.

The dragon shrugged. His eyes flicked to the letter in his soulmate's hands. "What's that?"

Anduin handed him the letter. "From the nobles. They agreed that Taelia satisfies the mandate and canceled today's session." A slow smile spread on Wrathion's face and Anduin's eyes widened. "Wrathion, what did you do?!"

"Me? Oh, nothing much. Here, I brought you something you might be interested in. The whole city is buzzing about it," said the dragon and handed Anduin the morning's edition of _The Stormwind Enquirer._

"A gossip rag? Wrathion, wha--," Anduin's mouth snapped shut as soon as he saw the headline. Taelia gasped as she read it over his shoulder.

_ROYAL ROMANCE! MONARCH MEETS MATES! EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE BLACK PRINCE CONSORT!_

The article below it was a piece that explained, well... just about everything. It revealed their soulbonds, detailed the love story of a dragon fallen from grace, winning back the heart of the king and romancing the future queen. It talked of the courageous and beautiful warrior that the dragon and the king had fallen in love with, a hero of her people and the world who was ready to help lead the people of Stormwind. The article explained the malicious plotting of nobles using the brave soldiers of Stormwind as blackmail against the king to try and arrange for him a loveless marriage, all so they could see one of their own daughters on the throne. The interviewer interrogated the dragon on his intentions and gave him the opportunity to state his disinterest in taking over the kingdom. All he wanted was to love his king and queen as their consort, and to do everything in his power to uphold the original charge of the black dragonflight to protect the world.

It was surreal, seeing the story of their relationship spelled out in such romantic and moving terms. It was almost as if he were reading someone else's story, but the quotes from Wrathion were unmistakable. Anduin handed the paper to Taelia and started moving towards his other soulmate.

"It seems every citizen in Stormwind has received a copy this morning. The nobles must have realized how--"

Anduin interrupted him by grabbing him by the lapels and dragging him into a kiss. "I love you," he murmured as he pulled away. "I don't know what you did, and I probably don't want to know, but whatever it was I'm glad you did it."

Mathias Shaw coughed.

Wrathion smiled at the spymaster. "Nothing illegal about giving an interview."

The rogue rolled his eyes. "I should go. I will deliver this news to the other advisors. Congratulations, your majesty."

Anduin nodded, "Thank you, and if it's not too much trouble, could you tell the kitchens I'll need breakfast for three sent up this morning?"

"Of course, your majesty," responded Shaw, quickly leaving before having to witness any more displays of affection.

"I think you may have scandalized the poor man," laughed Taelia. "Though I'm not sure how Flynn hasn't broken him of that yet."

"Today, I don't even care," said Anduin, hugging Wrathion close and enjoying the pleased rumble that emanated from his dragon's chest.

"I can hardly believe it. The nobles agreed..." Taelia set aside the paper and moved into Wrathion's arms next to Anduin. "What happens now?"

Wrathion smiled, "Now we have a wedding to plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other famous headlines from _The Stormwind Enquirer_ include
> 
>   * Tyrande Whisperwind Expecting Twins! Is Malfurion the Father?
>   * Inside Look at the Gilneas Royal Family!
>   * Turalyon and Alleria's Holiday Smackdown!
>   * Aliens Adopt Orphan! (it's about a draenai couple adopting an abandoned human baby they found)
>   * Magni's Secret to Rock-Hard Abs
> 

> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this monster of a chapter. Thanks for reading!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Kids Will Be Alright (Eventually)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690364) by [ElZacharie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElZacharie/pseuds/ElZacharie)




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